AHMEDABAD, India — A packed Air India jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday near a densely populated area of Ahmedabad, and city officials say there appear to be no survivors among the more than 240 people on board.
Quoted by The Associated Press, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik that early indications point to total loss of life among those on the aircraft, a Boeing Dreamliner bound for London. He also warned of possible civilian casualties on the ground.
“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Malik said. “With the plane crashing in a residential area with offices, some locals would have also died.”
The full extent of the casualties was not immediately clear, and rescue operations were ongoing. “Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” he said.
Footage aired by local television stations showed a thick column of black smoke rising from the wreckage in what appeared to be a commercial neighborhood not far from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Emergency crews were seen scrambling over debris as local residents gathered nearby.
Ahmedabad, with a population of over 5 million, is the largest city in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The area surrounding the airport includes a mix of residential buildings and office complexes, adding to fears that the crash may have claimed additional lives on the ground.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Air India and aviation authorities have not released a detailed statement but confirmed that Flight AI171 was involved in a “serious incident” shortly after takeoff.
