Air India says people on crashed flight included Indians, British, Portuguese and a Canadian

AHMEDABAD, India — Air India says its London-bound flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport Thursday included people from India, Britain, Portugal and Canada.

The airline said the flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew overall. Indian officials had previously said 244 were on board.

Of those, Air India said there were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.

Visuals on local television channels showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in Ahmedabad, a northwestern city with a population of more than 5 million.

India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site.

"We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation," he said.

The 787 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engine plane. This is the first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

The aircraft was introduced in 2009 and more than 1,000 have been delivered to dozens of airlines, according to the flightradar24 website.

AP