
An Air India passenger plane crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, not long after departing for London’s Gatwick airport, Indian media reported. The airline confirmed only that the London-bound flight had been involved in “an incident.”
“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today,” the airline confirmed in a social media post. “At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates.”
There was no immediate confirmation from Indian officials of suspected casualties. Live flight tracking website Flight Radar said it had received a final signal from Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft capable of carrying more than 250 people, just seconds after it took off.
The flight path showed it travelling southwest from the airport before the path stops.
Indian TV channels showed thick smoke rising from the apparent crash site, with some images showing significant damage to buildings and multiple ambulances rushing to the scene.