Nandan Dave/Anadolu via Getty ImagesAn Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India on Thursday.
More than 240 people were on board the flight when it was involved in what the airline called a “tragic accident”.
Details are still emerging from the scene. Here is what we know so far.
Where was the plane going?
Air India flight AI171 left Ahmadabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport bound for London Gatwick Airport.
It was scheduled to take off at 09:50 local time (03:50 GMT) and land in Gatwick at 18:25 BST, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
All operations have been suspended at Ahmedabad’s International Airport until further notice, a spokesperson said.
When and where did it crash?
The passenger plane crashed on departure from Ahmedabad.
According to FlightRadar24, the signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08 at 625 feet.
It says this was “less than a minute after take-off”.
It crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar, according to India’s directorate of civil aviation.
Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed huge plumes of black smoke in the sky.
Who was on board?
There were 232 passengers and 12 crew members on board, according to aviation directorate chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai.
Fifty-three were British nationals, alongside 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
The aircraft – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – had a total of 256 seats on board.
No details of any casualties have been shared.
Officials have been instructed to carry out “immediate rescue and relief operations” and to make arrangements on a “war footing,” the chief minister of Gujarat said.
Air India’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said an “emergency centre has been activated” and a support team put in place for families seeking information.
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