An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, killing at least 247 people, including five medical students, authorities said.
The flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, issued a mayday call before plummeting into a doctors’ hostel building in the western Indian city, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Air India confirmed that among those on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to “take swift and coordinated action.”
Emergency services are at the crash site, working to recover victims and investigate the cause of the tragedy.
The incident marks one of the deadliest air disasters in India’s history, with the nation mourning the loss of lives.
