ReutersAn Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving at least 204 people dead.
The flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 53 British nationals, when it came down in the western Indian city.
Ahmedabad’s police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had been recovered, while 41 people were being treated for injuries.
GS Malik earlier told news agencies there appeared to be no survivors from the crash, and that some local people would also have died given where the plane came down.
He later said one passenger survived the crash, with Indian media reporting that it was a British national.
Details are still emerging from the scene.
When and where did the plane crash?
Air India flight AI171 left Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT), Air India said.
It was scheduled to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
The plane crashed on departure from Ahmedabad – where all operations have since been suspended.
Central Industrial Security Force/IndiaAccording to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the signal from the aircraft was lost “less than a minute after take-off”.
Flight tracking data ends with the plane at an altitude of 625ft (190m).
The plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, India’s aviation regulator said. No response was given by the aircraft after that.
It crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar. Police told ANI news agency that it had crashed into a doctors’ hostel.
A photograph taken after the crash shows abandoned tables and plates of food in the canteen of the hostel. At the far end of the room, people have gathered to inspect a huge hole in the wall apparently caused by the impact of the plane.
One woman at the scene told ANI that her son jumped from the second floor of the hostel, sustaining injuries, when the plane crashed there.
Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed huge plumes of black smoke in the sky.
The BBC’s Roxy Gagdekar said people near the scene were running to “save as many lives as possible”.
He said emergency services were involved in a rescue operation and trying to extinguish a fire, and described seeing bodies being taken from the area.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a press briefing that “we have lost a lot of people”.
Ahmedabad’s police chief GS Malik told the BBC 204 people had died and 41 were injured.
It is not known if those 204 were all on the plane, or were on the ground when the plane crashed.
He initially said there appeared to be “no survivors” from the crash and “some locals” would have died given where the plane came down. Malik later said one person had survived, with that person reported to be a British national.
Who was on board?
There were 242 passengers and crew members on board, according to Air India.
Among the passengers were 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
The aircraft – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – had a total of 256 seats on board.
The British man who reportedly survived has been named as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A.
He was quoted by Indian media as saying: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
The BBC spoke to one of his relatives, Ajay Valgi in Leicester, who said Vishwash had called the family to say he was “fine”.
Mr Valgi said Vishwash did not know the whereabouts of his brother Ajay, who was also on the plane.
Three Britons from Gloucester – Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their daughter Sara – are thought to be among those on the flight. In a statement, Gloucester Muslim Society said it was “profoundly heartbroken” and offered their “deepest condolences” to the family.
The MP for Leicester East, Shivani Raja, told BBC News she understood there were a “handful of Leicester residents who were on board” but stressed she was still waiting for “official reports” to confirm the news.
She said her community, which has a high population of British-Gujaratis, were “all really horrified and devastated” by the crash.
An “emergency centre has been activated” and a support team put in place for families seeking information, Air India’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.
Gatwick Airport said a reception centre for relatives of passengers was being set up and said British nationals with concerns about friends or family should call 0207 008 5000.
What do we know about the plane?
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, and the Air India crash is the first time it has come down like this.
The model was launched 14 years ago. Just six weeks ago, Boeing lauded the fact that it had reached the milestone of carrying one billion passengers.
Air India operates a fleet of more than 190 planes including 58 Boeing aircraft, according to its website.
In a statement, Boeing said: “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
Did wing flaps play a role in causing crash?
Aviation experts have told the BBC the position of the plane’s wing flaps as it took off may have caused a problem for the plane.
One video verified by the BBC shows the plane descending before a large explosion occurs as it hits the ground.
“When I’m looking at this,” aviation analyst Geoffrey Thomas said, “the undercarriage is still down but the flaps have been retracted.”
Another expert, Terry Tozer, said: “It’s very hard to say from the video for sure, it doesn’t look as if the flaps are extended and that would be a perfectly obvious explanation for an aircraft not completing its take-off correctly.”
“That would point to potential human error if flaps aren’t set correctly,” said Marco Chan, a former pilot and a senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, “but the resolution of the video is too low to confirm that.”
What have the airline and authorities said?
Air India confirmed on X that the flight was “involved in an accident today after take-off”.
It said it was fully co-operating with authorities investigating the crash and would provide further updates and has set up a dedicated passenger hotline to provide further information: 1800 5691 444
A spokesperson for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport said all operations had been suspended until further notice, and they advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.
Tata Group, which owns Air India, has said it will give 1 crore rupees – the equivalent of around £86,000 – to the families of each person killed in the crash.
The chief executive of Air India, Campbell Wilson, described his “deep sorrow” following the incident.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones,” he said in a video statement.
APIndia’s aviation minister said he had directed “all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action”.
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjaparu added on X: “Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.”
Officials have been instructed to carry out “immediate rescue and relief operations” and to make arrangements on a “war footing,” the chief minister of Gujarat said.
How have India and the UK reacted?
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “stunned and saddened” by the crash.
“It is heartbreaking beyond words,” he said in a statement on X, adding he had been in touch with officials assisting those affected.
UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes emerging from Ahmedabad were “devastating”.
“I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time,” he said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK was working with local authorities in India to “urgently establish the facts” and provide support.
The King said he and Queen Camilla were “desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning” and extended his sympathy to those affected.
He said in a statement: “I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time.”
