Air India Plane Crash: Airline blacks out profile pics after Ahmedabad tragedy
Air India has blacked out its profile pictures across Instagram, Facebook, and X after one of its flights met with a tragic accident this afternoon. Airlines are known to turn their social media profile photos black after a crash.
The Ahmedabad to London flight crashed just minutes after take-off, plunging into a densely populated neighbourhood in Ahmedabad.
Rescue operations are ongoing at the crash site, with fire and emergency teams working through the debris in the residential area.
In a brief statement, Air India said it is 'cooperating with authorities investigating the accident.' Officials are yet to determine the exact cause of the crash involving the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Eyewitness footage captured the terrifying moment the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down behind a cluster of buildings, followed by a violent explosion.
A post shared by The Indian Express (@indianexpress)
A post shared by The Indian Express (@indianexpress)
The flight, which had taken off from Runway 23 at 1:39 p.m. IST, issued a MAYDAY distress call shortly after becoming airborne. However, radio contact with the crew was lost before further details could be relayed. The aircraft went down just outside the airport boundary in the crowded Meghani Nagar locality.
The Boeing 787-8, carrying 242 people, went down barely five minutes after it lifted off at 1:38 pm.
Among those on board were 230 passengers, alongside two pilots and ten crew members. In a statement, Air India confirmed, 'The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.'
The airline also informed that those injured in the crash are being rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. To assist families and loved ones, a dedicated helpline has been activated. 'We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,' the statement added.
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