An Air India plane has crashed at the airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad.
On Thursday, June 12, the aircraft met with a tragic fate near the Meghaninagar area in Gujrat's Ahmedabad airport, with state media yet to confirm the number of causalities.
In an official statement, Air India said that Flight AI171, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was "involved in an incident."
They further added, "At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest."
According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, the aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which said it received the last signal from the aircraft just seconds after takeoff.
The crash occurred when the aircraft was taking off, as the videos going viral showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke covering the sky near the airport.
There were 242 passengers on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew, and the plane crashed in a civilian area outside the airport.
Former Gujrat Chief Minister on board?
Unverified reports have suggested that the former Gujrat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, might have been one of the passengers on the Air India flight; however nothing has been confirmed as of now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacts to Air India plane crash
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the authorities to take immediate action for the rescue of passengers and provide all necessary support at the Ahmedabad airport.
International passengers on board
According to Air India, fifty-three British nationals were on board the flight bound for Gatwick airport, while one Canadian resident and seven Portuguese nationals were also travelling to London.
Meanwhile, 169 Indian nationals were on board flight AI171.
