An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. The flight was going to London. It went down between 1 pm and 2 pm.
The airline in a statement said flight No. AI 171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today. Horrific visuals have emerged from the crash site.
At least two dozen ambulances have arrived and some have taken away injured people to hospital.
Visuals from the site show a thick plume of grey smoke rising from the ground.
The flight crashed minutes after takeoff. The flight took off at 1:17 pm today.
Several roads leading up to the airport have been closed.
Emergency services have kicked in, with fire brigade and medical teams rushing to the airport for rescue work.
At least 242 passengers were on board the crashed plane.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he is personally monitoring the situation and directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.
Air India has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.
