The plane was carrying 232 passengers and 12 crew members, including two infants.
Ahmedabad: Air India flight AI 171 to London took off from Ahmedabad airport at 1:38 pm today, but crashed a few minutes later in the residential area of ”Meghani Nagar”.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was carrying 232 passengers and 12 crew members, including 2 infants, at the time of the accident, with 133 confirmed dead.
The DGCA has confirmed that the plane crashed outside the airport premises after making a “Mayday call” shortly after takeoff. The plane caught fire and smoke was seen from a distance.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also on board the plane. Apart from 52 British nationals, a Canadian was also on board the plane.
Initial reports suggest that the plane got entangled in a tree during take-off, which led to the accident. There have also been reports of a technical fault in the plane.
The ill-fated Air India plane crashed in a densely populated area of the city. This area is adjacent to the airport. The block is located in the IGB compound on an apartment block at the junction of Shahi Bagh area and Naroda. The front part of the plane got stuck between the flats.
The plane’s 232 passengers included 8 doctors. Since the area where the plane crashed is densely populated, people gathered at the accident site in large numbers. This resulted in severe difficulties in the rescue operations.
The administration had to appeal to the citizens to stay away from the accident site so that the rescue operation could continue and medical aid could be provided.
According to Fire Officer Jaish Khadia, several fire brigade vehicles immediately reached the spot and efforts were made to control the fire. Several injured have been shifted to the City Civil Hospital.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu has left for Ahmedabad to take stock of the situation.
