India's Aircraft Transporting 242 People Crashed In India's Ahmedabad

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASHJohn McArthur

JAKARTA - India's Aircraft headed for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The plane bound for Gatwick airport in England crashed in a civilian area near the airport.

On the plane there were 242 people consisting of 217 adults and 11 children, a source told Reuters on Thursday, June 12.

Of these, 169 people are Indian citizens, 43 are British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

Flightradar24 flight tracking site said the plane was the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft operating.

"Currently, we are confirming the details and will share the latest information further," Air India said on X.

The accident occurred right after the plane took off. Television footage shows the plane taking off over residential areas and then disappearing from the screen before a large cloud of fire rose into the sky from behind the houses.

Visual views also showed debris burning, with thick black smoke rising into the sky near the airport.

Visual views also showed people being transferred by stretcher and taken away by ambulance.

According to air traffic watchdog at Ahmedabad airport, the plane took off at 1:39 p.m. from runway 23. The plane issued a "M fire" call, signaling a state of emergency, but after that there was no response from the plane.