THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.

An Air India flight bound for London Gatwick has crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.

Flight AI 171, which departed Ahmedabad at 13:38 (local time) on Thursday 12 June, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, Air India confirmed. This included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.

The aircraft reportedly crashed into a residential area near the airport and those injured during the incident ¡°are being taken to the nearest hospitals¡±, Air India said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

Disaster response forces have been deployed to the crash site, according to a statement by India's interior minister Amit Shah.

The number of casualties is yet to be confirmed, however India's federal health minister said that "many people" were killed, according to a Reuters report.

Air India chairman N Chandrasekaran, in a statement, said: ¡°At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.

¡°Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated, and support teams have been set up for families seeking information,¡± he added.

Air India has also established a dedicated passenger support hotline: 1800 5691 444.

Boeing is also reportedly aware of the incident and is working to gather more information.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X said he has been ¡°in touch¡± with ministers and authorities working to assist those affected and described the incident as ¡°heartbreaking beyond words¡±. ??

UK foreign minister David Lammy has also shared condolences via social media, adding that ¡°the UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support¡±.

Air India has been steadily increasing frequencies on routes to the UK, Austria and Switzerland. The carrier, which recently completed its merger with Indian rival Vistara, in late 2024 also began a US$400 million refit programme of 67 legacy aircraft in its fleet.