Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed at 1:43 a.m. local time (0643 GMT) shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, the airline confirmed to AFP. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed minutes after takeoff on a flight to London, Britain. The airline said there were 242 people on board, including 169 Indians, 53 Britains, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian. The remaining 12 were crew members.
The plane descended 625 feet after takeoff and crashed into a residential area near the airport. The plane crashed into a dormitory where doctors live and caught fire. It is not clear whether anyone on the ground was injured. A video circulating on social media shows the passenger plane plummeting to the ground and exploding as it tries to recover. The cause of the crash has not been released. According to reports, the plane made a Mayday call for help before it crashed, but when the air traffic control tower called back, it was no longer responding.
The weather was clear and visibility was good at the time of the crash. Rescue teams arrived at the crash site within minutes and tried to put out the fire. However, the plane was already in pieces and the flames were already burning. Witnesses said the plane’s black smoke could be seen for miles from the crash site. Boeing said it was receiving reports of a 787-8 Dreamliner crash and was awaiting further details. It was the first fatal crash of the Dreamliner since it was introduced 14 years ago. Boeing recently announced that the Dreamliner has carried more than 1 billion passengers.
The 1,175 planes flew nearly 5 million flights and logged nearly 30 million hours of flight time to reach the milestone. British Prime Minister Sarah Stewart said she was receiving more information about the crash in a timely manner, and that the scene was “very, very sad.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media that he was “deeply saddened” by the shocking news in Ahmedabad, expressing his condolences to all those affected. He also announced that he was coordinating with various ministries involved in the rescue mission.
The only survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 200 people is British national Vishwas Kumar Ramesh. The surviving passenger, who was in seat 11A, was on board, Police Commissioner Malik said. A video circulating on social media shows Mr Ramesh walking from the burning plane to an ambulance. His cousin told the BBC that he had called his family in Leicester, UK, after the crash to tell them he was okay. Mr Ramesh is currently receiving treatment in hospital, his cousin said.
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