An Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving at least 204 people dead.
The flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew when it was involved in what the airline has described as a “tragic accident” in the city in western India.
Ahmedabad’s police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had been recovered, while 41 people were being treated for injuries.
GS Malik had earlier told news agencies that there appeared to be no survivors, adding that some local residents were also likely killed, given the location of the crash. He later stated that one passenger had survived, with Indian media reporting the survivor to be a British national.
Air India flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT), according to the airline.
It was scheduled to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, where all airport operations have since been suspended.
According to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft’s signal was lost “less than a minute after take-off.” Flight tracking data ends with the aircraft at an altitude of 625 feet (190 meters).
India’s aviation regulator confirmed that the plane issued a mayday call to air traffic control. No further communication was received from the aircraft.
The plane crashed into a residential area known as Meghani Nagar. Police told the ANI news agency that it struck a doctors’ hostel.
One woman at the scene told ANI that her son jumped from the second floor of the hostel, sustaining injuries, when the plane crashed.
Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed massive plumes of black smoke rising into the sky.
The BBC’s Roxy Gagdekar reported that people near the scene were rushing to “save as many lives as possible.” He said emergency services were engaged in rescue efforts and were attempting to extinguish the fire. He described seeing bodies being removed from the area.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press briefing, “We have lost a lot of people.”
Ahmedabad’s police chief, GS Malik, told the BBC that 204 people had died and 41 were injured. It is not yet confirmed whether all 204 fatalities were passengers on the plane or included people on the ground.
Earlier, Malik had stated there appeared to be “no survivors” and that “some locals” had likely died due to the crash’s location. He later confirmed that one person had survived and is now in hospital. The survivor is reportedly a British national named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A.
He was quoted by Indian media as saying: “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Air India confirmed there were 242 passengers and crew members on board. Among the passengers were 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had a total seating capacity of 256.
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said an “emergency centre has been activated” and a support team is in place to assist families seeking information.
Gatwick Airport stated that a reception centre for relatives of passengers is being set up, where information will be provided. The airport is also liaising closely with Air India.
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