A terrible incident happened in India when an Air India plane, carrying 242 people, crashed just a few minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday. The flight was going to Gatwick Airport in the UK, but crashed near a civilian area close to the airport, according to the airline and police. It is still not clear if there are any deaths, Reported Save our pak news Channel on Thursday.
Air India confirmed that the flight was headed to London, while police said the crash happened near houses close to the airport. The plane involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most advanced passenger airplanes in the world, according to aviation tracking website Flightradar24.
Right now, Air India said on its official page that they are checking all the facts and will share updates soon.
TV channels showed that the plane took off and was flying over homes when suddenly it vanished from the screen, followed by a big explosion. A large cloud of fire and black smoke rose into the sky from behind the houses, creating panic in the area.
More footage showed burning debris and thick smoke near the airport. Emergency teams were seen moving injured people on stretchers and shifting them into ambulances quickly.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the plane took off from runway 23 at exactly 1:39 p.m. local time. Just moments later, it sent out a “Mayday” signal, which means an emergency. But after that, no more communication came from the aircraft.
Flightradar24 also reported that the last signal from the plane was received only seconds after it took off. They confirmed the aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with the registration VT-ANB. Boeing has not yet given any official comment on the crash.
The last time such a deadly crash happened in India was in 2020, when an Air India Express plane crashed in Kozhikode. That aircraft skidded off the runway and fell into a deep valley, leading to the death of 21 people.