Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon with 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew members. The plane bound for London, which lost altitude soon after take-off, crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area.
Ahmedabad’s city police commissioner has told the Associated Press that there appear to be no survivors from the crash. “It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Commissioner G.S. Malik told AP.
According to initial reports, at least 91 people have died in the crash as their bodies were brought into hospitals in the area. Some reports suggest fatalities have crossed 140.
The pilot gave a Mayday call to the Ahmedabad air traffic controller (ATC) moments after takeoff. However, thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC, the aviation regulator DGCA said in a statement.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from Runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC, according to the DGCA statement.
Several world leaders have extended condolences to the families of the people on board. President Droupadi Murmu wrote on X: “I am deeply distressed to learn about the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. It is a heart-rending disaster. My thoughts and prayers are with the affected people. The nation stands with them in this hour of indescribable grief.”
(This is a developing story)
