Dhaka, June 12, 2025 :- A London-bound passenger plane crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The country's aviation authority said there were 242 people on board the plane.
Air India Flight 171 was en route from Ahmedabad airport to London's Gatwick airport when it crashed shortly after takeoff, the AFP news agency reported from Ahmedabad.
It is not yet known for sure how many people were killed in the accident. The airline authorities concerned have described the incident as a 'tragic accident'.
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said he was "shocked and saddened" by the Kinjarapu accident.
An AFP journalist said a plume of thick black smoke was seen over Ahmedabad airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of India said there were a total of 242 people on board the crashed plane, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane crashed shortly after sending a "Mayday" (emergency assistance) signal. The plane crashed outside the airport's boundaries.
Ahmedabad, a city of eight million people, is the capital of the Indian state of Gujarat. The city's busy international airport is located in a densely populated residential area.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that all agencies related to aviation and emergency services have been instructed to work quickly and in a coordinated manner.
He further said, "Rescue teams have reached the spot. All efforts are being made to provide medical assistance and relief operations. My prayers and sympathies go out to all the passengers on board and their families."
Air India confirmed the accident.
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement, "It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick has met with a tragic accident."
He also said, "We express our deepest condolences and sympathy to all the passengers and their relatives who were victims of this terrible accident."
The Air India chairman said that an emergency support center and information service team have been formed for the affected families.
It is worth noting that India has had several fatal plane crashes in the past. In 1996, two jets collided head-on in the skies over Delhi, killing about 350 people.
In 2010, an Air India Express plane crashed in Mangalore, southwest India, killing 158 of the 166 people on board.
Earlier, in June 1985, an Air India Boeing 747 en route from Montreal to London crashed off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board.
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