A plane bound for London, U.K., and carrying more than 200 people crashed on Thursday, Air India said.
Passengers include 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals, the
. “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,” it added.
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crashed five minutes after take-off at a residential area in Ahmedabad, a city in India with a population estimated to be over five million people. It was bound for London Gatwick Airport. Police told news agency ANI that the plane crashed into a doctors’ hostel,
X user
shared footage of the crash on the social media site. “Please pray for these people,” he posted early on Thursday morning.
BREAKING: Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner Crashes After Takeoff
– Air India Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick
– Passengers/Crew: 242 onboard
– Crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India
– Reached 625 feet, then descended at -475 ft/min (FlightRadar24)
– Boeing… pic.twitter.com/hnOddIVPeK
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 12, 2025
The tragedy “is heartbreaking beyond words,” India’s Prime Minister
. “In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
British PM Keir Starmer described the scenes emerging from the crash as “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.”
Boeing shares take a hit after plane crash in India
The plane that crashed was reportedly a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the company’s “bestselling passenger widebody of all time,”
, and one of the most modern passenger aircrafts in service, per Flightradar24, an aviation tracking site.
Boeing said in a statement that it was aware of the initial reports of the crash, “and are working to gather more information.”
The shares of the company “tumbled as much as 9% before trading opened in the U.S.,” Associated Press reports.
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