NU
Fri, 13 June 2025
London – Officials say over 240 people have died when an Air India plane bound for London Gatwick airport crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in Gujrat state of India.
The plane carrying 242 people on board – including members of the crew - crashed on Thursday afternoon local time.
In a statement, Air India said that of 242 passengers and crew members, 169 were Indian nationals and 53 were British nationals. There were also seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national on board, the airline said.
One passenger – a British citizen of Indian origin- miraculously survived the crash and is being treated at a local hospital, reports said
"We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed," Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told Reuters news agency.
India’s minister of civil aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, wrote on social media platform X saying that “Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” the minister wrote on a statement on X.
"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. "It is heartbreaking beyond words."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images of the crash were "devastating". A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump called the crash "terrible".
This is the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft globally. This particular aircraft was delivered to Air India in January 2014, reports said.
