Alarming Footage Shows Passenger Plane Crashing in a Fireball Right After Takeoff, with 242 on Board

Air India flight AI171 suffered an “accident after takeoff” while heading to London on Thursday, June 12: Video shows the plane gliding to the ground and exploding

Brief video captured the moment a London-bound passenger jet appeared to be consumed in a large fireball as it crashed shortly after takeoff in India on Thursday, June 12.

Air India flight AI171 was heading from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it “was involved in an accident after take-off” at 1:38 p.m. local time, the airline said on social media.

The plane was “carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft,” Air India said.

“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,” the airline added.

Video has since emerged of the seconds just before the crash and show the plane leaving the airport before quickly descending and then slamming into the ground.

A large explosion was also seen.

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press that the jet crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar right after taking off.

According to The New York Times, the plane hit a medical college.

The cause is under investigation. The total number of dead and wounded has not been confirmed.

Ahmedabad’s police commissioner, G.S. Malik, initially said “it appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” according to the AP. But he later told News18, a local outlet, that he “was misquoted.”

There are news reports of at least one passenger who lived after the crash, and Air India said in a statement from its CEO that some passengers had been hospitalized with injuries.

Malik told The New York Times that 204 bodies were recovered at the scene.

“It is heartbreaking beyond words,” the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, said in a statement.

“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,” he added.

India’s aviation minister, Shri. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, also posted on X following the incident and shared his “thoughts and prayers” with all those involved.

“Shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” he 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.”