Footage posted on social media captures the horrifying moment a passenger jet crashed in western India.
There’s chaos on the ground as emergency services descend on the crash site, with burning wreckage sending a tower of black smoke into the air.
Here’s what we know so far…
The Air India flight, which departed from Ahmedabad’s main airport at 1338, crashed around five minutes later in the residential neighbourhood of Meghani Nagar. It was en route to London Gatwick.
We understand that weather conditions were clear and stable. But shortly after take off, the vastly experienced pilot sent out a mayday call. Flight tracking data showed the plane was at 625 feet when the last signal was received.
The plane was a state of the art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and this is the first crash involving this type of aircraft.
This is a fast moving story, but we know that 242 people were aboard the plane, including 169 Indians, and 53 British nationals.
The plane reportedly crashed into a doctors’ hostel, an accommodation for local medical professionals. There’s devastation on the ground.
Emergency services were at the crash site within minutes, and dozens of bodies have already been recovered.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reacted to say “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.”
Meanwhile, the UK Prime Minister has described scenes on the ground as devastating.
The UK is working with Indian authorities to provide information and support to those affected.
There’s still plenty of information to piece together about this tragedy, and we’re unlikely to know the full extent of it for some time.
An investigation will quickly attempt to establish the cause of the crash, with Boeing likely to have tough questions to answer. It’s another blow for the company, with Boeing aircraft involved in a number of fatal collisions in recent years.
We’ll bring you more updates on this story in the coming days.
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