Flight carrying 242 people bound for London has crashed in Ahmedabad, India

MUMBAI, India — An Air India flight with 242 passengers and crew bound for London crashed shortly after departure in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad today.

It’s not clear how many casualties there are on the flight, a Boeing 787 which was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport.

Footage posted by the outlet Press Trust of India showed the plane sinking over a residential quarter and then the sound of a blast, and a ball of fire. The Press Trust then shared images of medics rushing casualties on stretchers.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of the group that operates Air India, said in a statement that flight AI171 was involved in a “tragic incident.”

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” he said. “At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”

This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

Reuters says the aircraft gave a “Mayday” call, signaling an emergency before it crashed.

The last accident involving Air India was in 2020, where more than 20 people were killed.