More than 240 killed after Air India flight to London Gatwick crashes
More than 240 people were killed after an Air India flight bound for London crashed near Ahmedabad in north west India on Thursday.
The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members to London Gatwick Airport.
One passenger, a British national in seat 11A, miraculously survived. It is the worst aviation disaster in more than a decade.
Air India has confirmed 53 British nationals were on the flight, alongside 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese.
In a statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “the scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the plane crash was “heartbreaking beyond words… The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us.”
“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
Air India’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said that Air India Flight 171 was involved in a “tragic accident today.”
“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.”
Commons leader Lucy Powell said: “The thoughts of the whole House and the Government will be with the families of those traveling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London, Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed.
“This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many, many families and communities here and those waiting for the arrival of their loved ones.
“We send our deepest sympathy and thoughts to all those families, and the government will provide all the support that it can with those in India on those in this country as well.”