An Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London has crashed near the airport in Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Thursday afternoon. The ill-fated Air India flight AI 171 took off from Runway 23 in Ahmedabad at 1:17 pm and was expected to land in London’s Gatwick Airport at 6:09 pm. However, minutes after take-off, it crashed into the BJ Medical College UG hostel mess in Meghani Nagar. The last signal received from the flight was at 1:38 pm.

Soon after the crash, a thick cloud of smoke was seen billowing from the airport premises, as there was a lot of fuel on the flight. The injured are being rushed to the civil hospital in Ahmedabad, and 90 NDRF personnel have been sent to the crash site. According to reports, former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was onboard the plane. He was passenger number 12 on the flight.

Air India plane crash: Key updates

1- Initial reports suggest that several casualties are feared. 242 passengers and 12 crew members were onboard. It was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Among them, 52 British, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian nationals were onboard. 40 dead bodies have been brought to the hospital. Over 150 Indians were onboard.

2- Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, with 1,100 hours of flying, was flying the aircraft. He made a “mayday” call, which is an emergency distress signal used primarily in radio communications by ships and aircraft. However, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.

3- Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation. He spoke to the Minister of Civil Aviation, Rammohan Naidu.

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words,” PM Modi wrote on X. 

He added, “In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

Home Minister Amit Shah said that he is pained beyond words. He said, “Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site. Spoke with the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and the Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, to assess the situation.”

Gujarat Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, has left for Ahmedabad. He was in Surat.

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4- After the crash, operations at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad are currently not operational. All flight operations are temporarily suspended until further notice.

5- Air India chairman has confirmed the crash and said that the emergency response team have been dispatched to the site.

“With profound sorrow, I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today,” Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran said. 

He added, “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”

Earlier, an Air India spokesperson told Financial Express.com that they are awaiting the details and cannot comment on the situation at this time.

6- DGCA has informed that Capt Sumeet Sabharwal was an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The co-pilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.

7- Police said that the plane crashed at the doctors’ hostel. Within 2-3 minutes, police and other personnel from other agencies have reached the spot. Almost 70-80 % of the area has been cleared.

Air India plane crash: Visuals on social media