Fifty-three British nationals were on board an Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed after take off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, Air India said, reports Hindustan Times.
The UK Foreign Office has said that the UK is working with local authorities in India to “urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved”.
“Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) airport, had crashed into a residential area (Meghani nagar) take off at 1:38 PM (local time) crashed 5 minutes after take off,” Indian officials said.
Meanwhile, Air India has confirmed that the flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick 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. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” reads the official statement issued by the airline.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
