A plane crash occurred near Ahmedabad airport in India’s western state of Gujarat on Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos.
The Air India plane, bound for London’s Gatwick airport, crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport with 242 people on board.
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 217 adults and 11 children, including 169 Indian nationals, 43 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
According to Reuters, the airline and police confirmed the crash, but there has been no official confirmation on the number of casualties or fatalities.
BBC also reports that rescue workers are on the ground, and a rescue operation is underway near the airport.
Ambulances and emergency response teams are rushing to the scene, where a fire has broken out. Volunteers in the nearby area are also trying to help as much as they can.
“It’s a very shocking scene,” witnesses said. “Everyone is running right now trying to save as many lives as possible.” Bodies are still being taken from the area, and the fire brigade officials have started the rescue operation.
According to air traffic control, the aircraft departed at 1:39 pm local time and gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but there was no response thereafter. Flightradar24, an aviation tracking site, said it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.
The Indian aviation minister’s office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support is extended to the rescue efforts immediately.
Ahmedabad airport has suspended all flight operations with immediate effect.
