Air India Plane Carrying 242 Passengers Crashes Moments After Takeoff

A London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff at India’s Ahmedabad airport.

On LinkedIn, Air India confirmed that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an incident shortly after departure at 1:38 p.m. local time. According to the post, there was one Canadian on board the Air India flight, along with 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, and seven Portuguese nationals.

In the post, Air India stated that the injured were being taken to hospitals to receive medical care.

Indian media is reporting that all 242 passengers have died.

The plane, which was heading to London Gatwick Airport, crashed on top of a dining facility at a local medical college hostel. At least five students died and more were injured, according to the college dean, Minakshi Parikh (via The New York Times).

“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

The cause of the crash is currently unknown. The investigation is expected to take months.

The flight was operating on a Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner. While Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft have previously experienced operational issues that resulted in evacuations and injuries, according to the Aviation Safety Network, Air India flight AI171 is the first to result in a fatal crash.