An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff this afternoon. Flight AI171 was carrying 242 people when it went down minutes after departing, Report informs via News18.
The plane had 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger. Aside from the pilot and flying officer, there were also 10 crew members on board.
According to Reuters, more than 290 people on the plane and on the ground died as a result of the incident.
While the Directorate of Civil Aviation and Air India are probing the reasons behind the crash, sources have told CNN-News18 that it could be a double-engine failure, but it’s still too soon to confirm.
The pilot gave a Mayday call to the Air Traffic Control. Sources say that a Mayday call is sent out by the pilot when both engines of the aircraft have failed.
