AHMEDABAD — More than 200 people were killed when an Air India flight crashed shortly after taking off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the city police commissioner said.
The plane was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. The commissioner, G.S. Malik, said emergency crews had recovered 204 bodies from the crash site and did not rule out the possibility of survivors.
The plane, which took off at 1.38pm and was bound for London Gatwick Airport, crashed into a dining facility at a local medical college as dozens of students were having lunch. At least five students died, according to Minakshi Parikh, dean of the college.
Footage and photos of the crash site showed plumes of black smoke coming from the wreckage and firefighters dousing charred residential buildings. The plane’s tail appeared to be hanging out of a damaged building.
The airline said the plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 169 Indian citizens, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. At least 41 people were injured and receiving treatment, Malik said, a number that could include both passengers and people on the ground.
A family member cries upon hearing the news of her brother who died when the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. (Photo: Reuters)
The plane departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, which temporarily shut down after the crash. It had been scheduled to land in London at 6.25pm, London Gatwick Airport said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India said the crash was “heartbreaking beyond words” in a statement on social media. “In this sad hour,” he added, “my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
Here is what else to know:
— Boeing troubles: Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft have experienced operational problems with passengers onboard, resulting in evacuations and injuries. There have been no fatal crashes previously recorded for the aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
— Passengers: Aboard the plane was Vijay Rupani, chief minister of the state of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, according to a passenger list confirmed by officials of his party.
— Britain’s reaction: The British government said it was working with Indian authorities to “urgently establish the facts” and opened a hotline for British citizens in India seeking information about the crash. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said scenes of the crash were “devastating” and that he was being updated on the situation.
— Air India: Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chair of Air India, said the company was focused on “supporting all the affected people and their families” and assisting emergency response teams at the crash site. The country’s flagship carrier, Air India has worked to improve its safety record after several dangerous incidents. In August 2020, an Air India Express flight overshot the runway in the city of Kozhikode, killing 21 people.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
