At least 30 killed after London-bound Air India flight with 242 people, including 11 children, crashed after take-off

A London-bound Air India flight from Ahmedabad in western India crashed shortly after take-off on Jun. 12 afternoon.

In a statement on X, Air India said the flight, AI 171, left Ahmedabad at 1:38pm on Thursday.

There were 242 passengers and crew members onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals.

These travellers included 11 children, reported CNA.

Without specifying the number of injured individuals, Air India said the injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.

India's health minister was reported as saying that "many people" had passed away due to the crash.

According to Reuters, rescue workers had recovered at least 30 bodies at the scene of the crash.

Air India added that it has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number at 1800 5691 444 to provide further information.

"Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident," read the statement.

Firefighters extinguishing fire at crash scene

According to videos circulating on X, a fire emitting dark smoke ensued after the crash.

Indian authorities were also seen extinguishing the fire at the scene.

Several pieces of wreckage from the aircraft could be seen lying on the ground.

Following the incident, Boeing's shares plunged by around 8 per cent in premarket trading, reported Reuters.

Top images via X