Air India Boeing 787 crash: 53 Brits on board plane that crashed near Ahmedabad Airport - how many people have died, been injured, are there any survivors?
There were 53 Britons on board the Air India flight when it crashed, according to the airline.
Of the 242 passengers in total, 169 are Indians, seven are Portguese and one is Canadian. Air India said: “Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off.
“The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.
“We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”
Currently it is not known how many people have died or the numbers of those injured. However, At least 30 bodies have been recovered from a building at the site of the plane crash, Reuters reports, citing rescue personnel at the site. More people were trapped inside, the rescue workers said.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was on the Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad airport. According to the passenger list document accessed by India Today Digital, "Vijay Ramniklal Rupani" was the 12th passenger on the list and was booked in Z class, which falls under the Business Class category. The Air India flight was departing from Ahmedabad airport, with 244 people were onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
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.