Air India plane carrying 242 crashes in India en route to United Kingdom

[ad_1] LONDON and DELHI -- An Air India airliner carrying 242 passengers and crew en path to the UK from India crashed shortly after takeoff in an space close to the Ahmedabad airport, in India's Gujarat state, native officers and the airline stated.

"The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 13:38 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 plane," the airline stated in an announcement posted on social media. "Of those, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian nationwide and seven Portuguese nationals."

The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed within the Meghaninagar space close to the airport, the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner stated Thursday. Boeing's Dreamliner planes haven't beforehand been concerned in a incident the place passenger fatalities had been reported.

"We're conscious of preliminary studies and are working to collect extra info," Boeing stated in an announcement.

Rescue workforce members work as smoke rises on the web site the place an Air India aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.

Amit Dave/Reuters

The Indian Directorate Common of Civil Aviation stated the aircraft "fell on the bottom exterior the airport perimeter" instantly after it departed from the airport. Video from the positioning appeared to point out the jet disappear beneath the tree line, which was adopted seconds later by a ball of fireplace and a thick plume of gray smoke.

"Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident web site," the Directorate Common stated within the assertion.

India's Central Industrial Safety Drive launched pictures from the positioning of the crash, which appeared to incorporate civilians and emergency personnel working to place out flaming wreckage. One photograph appeared to point out the broken tail of the airplane resting partially inside a gap in a constructing.

A photograph launched by India’s Central Industrial Safety Drive reveals the aftermath of an Air India aircraft crash on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

India’s Central Industrial Safety Drive

The Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated he had "directed all aviation and emergency response companies to take swift and coordinated motion" to reply to the crash.

"Rescue groups have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to make sure medical assist and aid assist are being rushed to the positioning," the minister added.

The native governor, Bhupendra Patel, spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the crash to coordinate their emergency response, officers stated. Patel stated he ordered a so-called "inexperienced hall" for emergency autos to journey between the crash web site and native hospitals.

Firefighters work on the web site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern metropolis of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Ajit Solanki/AP

Modi in an announcement confirmed that he'd been in contact with native officers.

"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has shocked and saddened us," he stated in an announcement on social media. "It's heartbreaking past phrases. On this unhappy hour, my ideas are with everybody affected by it."

The airline initially introduced the crash in an announcement on social media, saying the flight had been "concerned in an incident," including that it was "ascertaining the small print" of the incident. The airline up to date its social media profiles to show all-black profile footage.

Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies on the web site, exhibiting a part of its registration "VT-ANB", the place the Air India aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.

Amit Dave/Reuters

The flight was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad airport, which is formally Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Worldwide Airport, to London's Gatwick Airport, in accordance with FlightRadar24, a monitoring web site.

It had been scheduled to depart at 9:50 a.m. native time, with a deliberate arrival time in London at 18:25 p.m. native time. Gatwick in an announcement confirmed the scheduled arrival time.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated he was being up to date on the state of affairs in Ahmedabad, including that his "ideas are with the passengers and their households at this deeply distressing time."

Firefighters work on the web site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern metropolis of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Ajit Solanki/AP

"The scenes rising of a London-bound aircraft carrying many British nationals crashing within the Indian metropolis of Ahmedabad are devastating," Starmer stated in an announcement.