Air India plane bound for London crashes on takeoff at Ahmedabad airport

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London crashed on takeoff at Ahmedabad airport in India. 232 passengers and 12 crew members were on board, officials say.

An Air India plane bound for London's Gatwick airport with 232 passengers and 12 crew members on board has crashed on takeoff at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals on board, according to the airline.The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. A dedicated passenger hotline has been set up for those affected. Local media reported that the plane crashed into a medical college hospital in Ahmedabad shortly after it left the runway. Unverified photos show the tail of the plane lodged into a building with plumes of black smoke billowing behind it.. It is unclear how many have been injured as a result of the accident. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that "the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words."India's Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said he was "shocked and devastated" by the news of the crash in the Indian state of Gujarat."We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action," Ram Mohan Naidu said."Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families."Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK Foreign Office has arranged crisis teams in India and the UK.He told the House of Commons: "My thoughts, and I’m sure those of the entire House, are with those who’ve been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning."We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London."The chief minister of Gujarat wrote on X that officials have been instructed to carry out "immediate rescue and relief operations" and to make arrangements on a "war footing".Flight tracking data shows the aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — the first crash involving this model. The jet was 11 years old."We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff," Flight Radar wrote in a post on X. The aircraft was scheduled to arrive at 6:25 pm local time (7:25 pm CEST).Videos from the scene show a low-flying aircraft trailing flames and descending toward a residential neighbourhood before bursting into orange and black smoke.Meghaninagar is a residential suburb in the Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad in India's west.