An Air India plane bound for London has crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board, the airline says. One passenger who was thrown from the plane survived.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board, was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital and crashed onto a medical college hostel during lunch hour.

At least five medical students in the hostel were killed when the plane hit the building and burst into flames, according to a medical association officer.

Cousin says Air India crash survivor spoke to UK family, said he was 'fine'. – Reuters

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that he met the sole survivor at the hospital. A doctor said he had examined the survivor, whom he identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr Dhaval Gameti said. “But he seems to be out of danger.”

Another medic said Ramesh told him that immediately after the plane took off, it began descending and suddenly split in two, throwing him out before a loud explosion.

Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

Firefighters doused the smoking wreckage of the plane, which would have been fully loaded with fuel shortly after takeoff, and adjacent multistory buildings with water.

Work continues into the night at the site of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. – AP

A video on social media showed the jet slowly descending as if it were landing.

As soon as it disappeared from view behind rows of houses, a giant fireball filled the sky. 

At the crash site, the tail cone of the aircraft with damaged stabiliser fins still attached was lodged near the top of one of the buildings.

Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words" and said “my thoughts are with everyone affected.”

Sambit Patra, an MP from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said Gujarat’s former chief minister, Vijay Rupani, was among the dead.

Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, said at least five students from the medical college were killed on the ground and 50 others were injured.

Singh said some of them were in critical condition and many people are “feared buried in the debris.”

UN chief saddened by deadly plane crash in India. – AP

The surviving passenger was in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, said, adding that there could be more survivors in hospital.

"Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed," 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times, which showed a boarding pass for seat 11A in that name online.

"It all happened so quickly," he told the paper from his hospital bed.

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me," he said. 

"Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."

He said that his brother, Ajay, was seated in a different row on the plane.

"He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he said.

Ahmedabad police chief GS Malik said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground. 

Relatives have been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.

Air India confirmed in a statement posted on X that 229 passengers and 12 crew members were killed in the crash.

The only survivor was a British national of Indian origin. The flight bound for London Gatwick Airport had 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian passenger aboard.

“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,” the airline said.

This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Boeing said it was “working to gather more information”.

India’s aviation regulatory body said the aircraft gave a mayday call, signalling an emergency, but then did not respond to the calls made by the airport traffic control.

Aviation consultant John M Cox, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said that while the first images of the crash were poor, it appeared the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing, which is one of the things that investigators would look at.

“The 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring – the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands – so once we get that recorder, they’ll be able to know pretty quickly what happened,” he said.

The wide-body, twin-engine aircraft was introduced in 2009, and more than 1000 have been delivered to dozens of airlines, according to the flightradar24 website.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government was in constant contact with Indian authorities and encouraged loved ones of passengers on the Air India flight to contact the foreign office.

“Our hearts and our thoughts are absolutely with the friends and families of all those affected who are going to be absolutely devastated by this awful news,” he said.

British Cabinet minister Lucy Powell said the government would provide “all the support that it can” to those affected by the crash.

Britain has very close ties with India. There were nearly 1.9 million people in the country of Indian descent, according to the 2021 UK census.

King Charles III said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “desperately shocked” by the crash.

“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations,” he said in a statement.

CCTV footage shows moment of Air India crash in Ahmedabad airport. – Reuters

CCTV footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

"My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed," Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, said at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.

Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed.

"My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries," she said.

India's aviation minister promises no 'stone unturned' in crash investigation. – Reuters

According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39pm (0809 GMT). It gave a Mayday call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.

US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up.

“If you didn't know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway,” Brickhouse said.

India's Civil Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

"The government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail," he added.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said that he has spoken with the Air India chairman to offer full support and a team stands ready to support the investigation.

The airline CEO, Campbell Wilson, said the investigation would take time and expressed "deep sorrow" about the incident.

Shares of Boeing Co. tumbled nearly 9 per cent before trading opened in the US.

Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace said that it would put a team together to go to India and analyse cockpit data, India's CNBC TV18 reported.

'Investigations will take time', says Air India CEO after crash kills hundreds. – Reuters

The US transportation secretary said the Federal Aviation Administration was working with Boeing and GE in the investigation.

US President Donald Trump called the crash "terrible".

Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by India's Adani Group conglomerate.

The last fatal plane crash in India, the world's third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm.

Aviation expert on what investigators might be looking for in Air India crash. – AP

The last major passenger plane crash in India was in 2020, when an Air India Express Boeing-737 skidded off a hilltop runway in southern India, killing 21 people.

The worst air disaster in India was on November 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhstan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.

Boeing has been in recovery mode for more than six years after Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 Max 8, plunged into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.

Five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing 157 passengers and crew members.

Deadly civilian plane crashes in India 

A damaged building at the site of the plane crash in Ahmedabad. – AP

Following are details of other airline accidents in India in recent years:

August 2020

Twenty-one people died when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.

May 2010

An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board.

July 2000

More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.

November 1996

Some 350 passengers were killed when a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane and a Kazakhstan Airlines plane collided head-on mid-air over the town of Charkhi Dadri in the northern Haryana state.

April 1993

An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed during takeoff in the western city of Aurangabad and killed 55 people on board.

August 1991

An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 flight from Kolkata crashed during descent near Imphal, the capital of the hilly north-eastern state of Manipur, killing all 69 occupants onboard.

October 1988

More than 130 passengers died when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, crashed as it was coming in to land.

January 1978

All 213 passengers of an Air India flight were killed when the captain lost control of the plane after take-off and it plunged into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India's financial hub.

In quotes

Firefighters work at the site of a plane crash in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad. – AP

Here's what world leaders have said so far:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X

"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words."

"In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X 

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating."

"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time."

US President Donald Trump at White House event 

"The plane crash was terrible. They (India) will handle it, I am sure, but I let them know that anything we can do, we'll be over there immediately."

"That is a terrible crash. It's one of the worst in aviation history."

Britain's King Charles in statement on X 

"My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning. Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X 

"Heartbroken to hear the news of a tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. My prayers are with all who lost their loved ones in this horrible incident."

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on X 

"Saddened by the tragic crash of Air India flight near Ahmedabad today. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims grieving this immense loss."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy."

The Vatican's secretary of state on X 

"Deeply saddened by the tragedy involving an Air India aircraft near Ahmedabad, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, together with the assurance of prayers for all involved in the recovery efforts."

"Commending the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the Almighty, His Holiness invokes upon all affected the divine blessings of healing and peace."

Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in a message to Modi 

"We extend our deepest condolences to all the families who lost their dear ones at this tragic incident."

"We stand in solidarity with the people and government of India, and offer our full support in any form."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on X 

"Canada is deeply saddened by the crash of a London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad with 242 people on board, including one Canadian."

"Canadian officials remain in close contact with counterparts in the wake of this tragedy. Our thoughts are with all those affected."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X 

"My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones grieving this terrible loss."

"Dear @narendramodi, Europe stands in solidarity with you and the people of India in this moment of sorrow."

Russian President Valdimir Putin in telegram to Modi 

"Please accept my deep condolences on the tragic consequences of the airliner crash at Ahmedabad airport."

"Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes of a swift recovery to all those injured in this catastrophe."

Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni on X 

"On behalf of the Italian government and myself, I express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and our full solidarity with the Indian people in this moment of great sorrow."

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on X 

"On behalf of the Filipino people, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government of India, and especially to the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives."

"May the victims be remembered with dignity, and may the ongoing efforts to understand this tragedy bring comfort and clarity to those left behind."

French President Emmanuel Macron on X 

"We have learned with deep emotion of the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. In this time of sorrow, I extend our heartfelt thoughts to the victims' loved ones and to Prime Minister @NarendraModi."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on X 

"The news of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad is absolutely devastating. In this time of tragedy, Australia's thoughts are with everyone affected."

"Our government is receiving regular updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on X  

"My thoughts and prayers are with the people of India after the terrible plane crash in Ahmedabad earlier today. Thinking of the families of all those on board, along with the emergency services attending the scene."

General secretary of British Airline Pilots' Association Amy Leversidge 

"Pilots around the globe are deeply saddened by this news. Members of the British Airline Pilots' Association send condolences to all those affected.

"It is vital a full and thorough investigation is now carried out without interference or unhelpful speculation about the contributory factors so that future tragedies can be avoided."