An Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning.
There were 242 people on board Flight 171, the airline said in a statement posted on X.
Data from Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner reaching an altitude of 625 feet before the signal ended.
A senior police officer said the plane crashed into a doctors’ hostel, Reuters reported. Images posted on social media appeared to show thick black smoke rising into the sky near the city’s civil hospital.
About 100 bodies had been recovered from the site, local police said.
Air India said 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian were on board.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said those on board included 10 cabin crew and two pilots.
The plane, registered as VT-ANB, was first delivered to Air India in January 2014. Thursday’s incident is the first hull loss of a 787.
“We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information,” Boeing said in a statement.
Boeing stock fell sharply in premarket trading and was down almost 8% at 7:50 a.m. ET.
London Gatwick Airport, where Flight 171 had been due to land at 6:25 p.m. local time, confirmed that the plane crashed on departure.
Sam PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images
Air India updated its X profile picture and header to black images.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. 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.”
Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, India’s civil aviation minister, said on X he was “shocked and devastated” and had directed all government agencies to “take swift and coordinated action.”
UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer described the situation as devastating in a statement on X, adding: “I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
Images appeared to show the jet’s landing gear had not been retracted and that the flaps on the wings were in the wrong position.
Alastair Rosenschen, an aviation consultant and former British Airways pilot, told Sky News: “If the gear was still down, then that would suggest that something is untoward.”
The crash comes at a testing time for Air India, which has been overhauling its operations since the Tata Group acquired the formerly state-owned carrier in 2022.
A year later, it ordered 470 aircraft worth $70 billion at list prices. The new jets, with much more modern seats, are a distinct upgrade from the older planes that make up the bulk of its fleet — although supply-chain constraints have hindered deliveries.
