Air India flight crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on flight to London

An Air India passenger plane crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, not long after departing for London's Gatwick airport, Indian media reported. The airline confirmed only that the London-bound flight had been involved in "an incident." 

"Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today," the airline said in a social media post. "At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates."  

There was no immediate confirmation from Indian officials of suspected casualties, but India's Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statement on social media that he was "shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad."