A PLANE bound for Gatwick airport has crashed shortly after take off in India with hundreds of people on board.
The Air India flight was departing from Ahmedabad airport, with 244 people, including 53 British nationals, were onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Commons Leader Lucy Powell said the Government will provide “all the support that it can” to those affected by the incident.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with the passengers and families of those on the flight.
He said: “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.
“I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
Smoke rises after a plane crashed in Ahmedabad (Mohan Nakum via AP)
Videos posted on social media show a large explosion as the plane crashes in a residential area.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, director general of India’s directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press the crash happened in the Meghani Nagar area at 1.38pm local time (9.08am BST).
Mr Kidwai said there were 232 passengers and 12 crew members onboard.
Emergency teams have been activated at Ahmedabad airport.
This is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
In a statement Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the airline, said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.
“We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”
He added: “An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families seeking information.”
Firefighters work at the site of a plane that crashed in Ahmedabad (Ajit Solanki/AP)
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on social media platform X: “We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London.
“We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC (shortly before 9.09am BST), just seconds after take off.
“The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB.”
It added that the signal from the aircraft was lost “less than a minute after take-off”.
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