‘No Survivors’ on London-Bound Plane That Crashed in India: Police

The police commissioner of the Indian city where a London-bound plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, said it’s believed there aren’t any survivors from the incident.

“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Ahmedabad’s commissioner, G.S. Malik, told the Associated Press.

He added that “some locals would have also died,” as the plane crashed in a residential area with offices.

“Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” he said.

PEOPLE reached out to Ahmedabad Police for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, earlier told the AP that the jet crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time on Thursday.

The resulting fire from the crash required some 70 trucks to help put out, an official said, according to The New York Times.

Air India confirmed in a post on X that there were 242 passengers and crew on board the plane, which was headed to London’s Gatwick Airport.

The passengers included 169 people from India, 53 from the U.K., one from Canada and seven from Portugal.

Kidwai, the aviation official, said there were 12 crew.

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement. “It is heartbreaking beyond words. 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.”

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

In their update on X, Air India said the plane was involved in an “accident” and the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals.

The airline also shared that a passenger hotline has been created to provide further information.

“Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,” the company added on X.

Following the incident, King Charles shared his own “shock” at the crash.

“My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,” he said in a statement. “Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones.”

“I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time,” his statement concluded.

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India’s health minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, previously said that “many people” were killed in the crash, per The Guardian.

This is the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database, per the AP.