Eyewitness on ground recalls Air India plane crash horror: ‘Dead bodies and debris all over’
Air India said that the flight, carrying 242 passengers, was heading to London's Gatwick from Ahmedabad.
An Air India aircraft carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed on Thursday afternoon, moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.
Air India said that the flight – AI171 – was heading to London's Gatwick from Ahmedabad. Of the total passengers onboard, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. Follow LIVE updates here.
As reported by Hindustan Times, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad airport at 1:39pm from runway 23 and moments later, gave a MAYDAY call to the air traffic controllers.
An eyewitness on the ground recounted the plane crash horror and said that dead bodies and debris were scattered all over.
“I was at home when we heard a massive sound. When we went out to see what had happened, there was a layer of thick smoke in the air,” the eyewitness told PTI. "When we came here, dead bodies and debris from the crashed aircraft were scattered all over."
Another eyewitness said that the plane crashed into a hostel building, where her son was present.
“My son had gone to the hostel during lunch break, and the plane crashed there. My son is safe, and I have spoken to him,” Ramila told ANI. "He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries.”
Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who was in Vijayawada, has reached Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later spoke to the minister and took stock of the Air India flight crash incident in Ahmedabad.
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The prime minister has directed the minister to ensure all necessary support is extended immediately and asked to be kept regularly updated on the situation. All relevant agencies are on high alert, and coordinated efforts are underway, Naidu's office said.
In an update, Air India said those injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.
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“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information,” the airlines said in a post on X. “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”
