Colombo (LNW):An Air India passenger plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, a major city in western India, early Thursday morning.
Images from the crash site show thick plumes of black smoke rising into the sky. The full extent of casualties is still unclear.
The flight, AI171, was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, where it was scheduled to arrive at 6:25 p.m. local time (1:25 p.m. ET).
In a statement, Air India confirmed that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the incident had taken off from Ahmedabad International Airport and suffered an accident shortly after departure.
The airline said there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian aboard the aircraft, including both passengers and crew. Injured individuals are being transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
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