Footage has emerged showing the moments before a London-bound Air India flight crashed near Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat – shortly after take-off.
More than 200 people – including 53 British nationals – were on board flight AI171 to London Gatwick.
Footage showed the Air India plane over a residential area near Ahmedabad Airport in the Gujarat, India
Taken from what appears to be a property, harrowing footage shows the aircraft descending over a residential area.
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It crashed in an area called Meghani Nagar at 1:38pm local time on Thursday, according to Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation.
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Moment before and after crash
Its wheels are still down, as you would expect from take-off.
The plane then disappears behind buildings as it descends.
A massive explosion follows as a huge fireball erupts and thick black plumes of smoke can be seen rising into the skies.
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Smoke rises from India plane crash
Flight tracking website Flightradar said a signal was last received from the aircraft less than a minute after take-off.
Read more: What we know so far
It is the first ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
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Gatwick-bound flight crashes
Air India said 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, were on board the flight.
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In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm local time on Thursday.
India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said: “Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.”
