Air India plane crash: Chilling video captures jet plunging moments after takeoff
242 people were onboard, including 12 crew members and two experienced pilots
DUBAI: A chilling video has surfaced online showing the horrifying moment the Air India Dreamliner crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft, operating as flight AI171 to London Gatwick, went down just five minutes after departure, with 242 people onboard.
The footage, reportedly captured by a local resident in the Meghaninagar locality, shows the aircraft descending rapidly before vanishing behind a cluster of buildings. Moments later, a plume of thick black smoke rises into the sky as panicked voices can be heard in the background. The video has since been verified by Indian media outlets and is now being shared widely on social media platforms.
Air India plane crash
The aircraft had taken off from Runway 23 at 1:38 PM IST and crashed minutes later in a densely populated area.
The crash site, located near the perimeter of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, was engulfed in flames and smoke, as seen in further visuals from the scene. Debris from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was scattered across a wide area, with mangled parts of the fuselage and wing fragments visible amid the blaze.
Rescuers rush to crash site
Firefighters and emergency personnel were seen working intensively to control the fire and secure the crash zone. At least three fire brigade units were deployed within minutes of the incident, according to local officials.
Authorities have urged the public not to share unverified or graphic footage online out of respect for those onboard, as investigations continue into what led to the tragedy.