At least 133 people are feared dead after an Air India flight carrying 242 passengers and 12 crew members crashed near Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday at 1.17 PM
The plane, en-route to London, crashed in a residential area, five minutes after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Gujarat.
Five medical students also died and many suffered injuries after the flight crashed into the hostel of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This includes, four undergraduate students and a postgraduate resident.
Air India has confirmed the plane was carrying 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger, besides 12 crew members.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is also suspected to be on board the Air India plane to London.
Visuals on local television channels showed smoke billowing from the crash site in what appeared to be a populated area near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with a population of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
Heavy smoke was visible from Dharpur near the Maninagar area in Ahmedabad. The fire brigade has rushed to the spot, and emergency response teams are being mobilized. Authorities are yet to confirm the cause of the crash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken stock of the situation and ordered immediate rescue and relief operations. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is rushing to Ahmedabad to assess the situation.
“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmadabad are devastating,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
Hotline numbers issued are – 011-24610843 | 9650391859 – Ministry of Civil Aviation; 1800 5691 444 – Air India passenger hotline; 07925620359 – Ahmedabad City police.
( with inputs from agencies)
