Over 240 dead in Air India plane crash

An Air India passenger plane bound for London with more than 240 people on board crashed on Thursday afternoon shortly after takeoff from an airport in western India, and officials said there was only one known survivor.

Flight AI171 departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat at 1:38 pm, and was due to arrive at Gatwick Airport in London at 6:25 pm local time.

Video footage on Indian news channels showed the plane crashing minutes after takeoff into a populated area right outside the airport. The airline said the flight was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian citizen, it said.