According to the AFP and AP news agencies, the local police chief in Ahmedabad has said that there appears to be no survivors.
The flight was departing from Ahmedabad airport, with 244 people onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The airline said 169 passengers are Indian nationals, 53 are British, one is Canadian and seven are Portuguese.
Local police say there are ‘no survivors’ in Air India crash
City police commissioner GS Malik told the Associated Press: “There appears to be no survivor in the crash.”
He added that there are “casualties” on the ground where the plane crashed, adding: “Since the airplane has fallen on an area which was residential and had some offices, there are more casualties as well.”
A spokesperson for India’s external affairs ministry said “we have lost a lot of people”.
Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing: “What has happened in Ahmedabad is a very tragic accident. We have lost a lot of people.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones.
“There are, I understand, several foreigners also.”
We can confirm flight AI171 that was involved in an accident on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today (12 June) was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members on board.
London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air… pic.twitter.com/QDXfF6t8S9
— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) June 12, 2025
A man at the scene has described “many bodies lying on the ground” after a Gatwick-bound plane crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad Airport.
He wore a surgical mask during the translated interview that aired on BBC News.
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Smoke appeared to billow behind him, and people in military uniforms and masks could be seen walking around.
The man, who was not named, told the reporter: “I was sitting at home, there was a loud noise, it felt like an earthquake.
“I came out and saw smoke, I didn’t realise it was a plane crash, then I came here and I found out and I saw the crashed plane – there were many bodies lying on the ground.”
