Probe ordered into Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, over 100 feared dead
The London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a residential area minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will launch a probe into the plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, PTI reported, citing an official.
Air India's Dreamliner Boeing 787 aircraft, involved in the crash, had 242 people on board, including 12 crew members. The plane, bound for London, lost altitude soon after takeoff and crashed into a building of a medical college in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area. Follow LIVE updates.
According to PTI, the AAIB director general and director of investigation at the agency, among others, will be leaving for Ahmedabad.
Under the civil aviation ministry, AAIB is responsible for the classification of safety occurrences, involving aircraft operating in the Indian airspace into accidents and serious incidents.
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It carries out detailed investigations into accidents and also suggests measures to improve safety.
Air India plane crash
The London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a residential area minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. Over 100 people are feared killed.
Air India said that of the total passengers onboard, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. Two pilots and ten cabin crew members were onboard.
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“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off,” the airlines wrote in a post on X.
“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,” it added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the plane crash, saying the accident is "heartbreaking beyond words".
"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," he wrote on X.
