The Voice News: A tragic air accident has occurred in India’s western coastal state of Gujarat, where a plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by the private Indian airline Air India, was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when it went down just minutes after takeoff. The AI 171 flight crashed in a residential area.
The crash took place between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM local time on Thursday. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft suddenly began descending. Preliminary reports indicate that the plane had reached an altitude of approximately 825 feet before it started losing height rapidly.
Soon after the incident, Air India released the passenger manifest for the ill-fated flight. According to the airline, AI 171 was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian citizen, and seven Portuguese nationals.
In a statement, Air India said:
“Flight AI 171, which departed from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM local time en route to London Gatwick, met with an accident shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying a total of 242 passengers and crew members, including 169 Indian, 53 British, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese nationals.”