Air India Crash Horror: 169 Indians, 53 Brits Among 242 On Doomed London Flight

Rescue efforts are underway at the site of crash of Air India Flight AI171. (Photo : IANS)

169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals were on board the Air India flight that crashed after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, Air India said.

“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,”  Air India said on X.

The accident took place in the highly populated Meghani Nagar locality close to the airport shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken stock of the incident and is on his way to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations. 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Minister of Civil Aviation, Rammohan Naidu, and took stock of the Air India flight crash incident in Ahmedabad. The Minister informed the Prime Minister that he is rushing to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations on the ground. 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," ANI quoted Office of Rammohan Naidu as saying.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister and the Police Commissioner regarding the Ahmedabad plane crash and assured them of providing Central government assistance, as reported by ANI. 

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has instructed the officials to carry out immediate rescue and relief work and arrange for immediate treatment of the injured passengers on a war footing. 

Three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, comprising 90 personnel, have been moved from Gandhinagar to the plane crash site for rescue and relief operations.