All 242 people aboard crashed Air India plane believed dead: Report

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - All 242 people on board the UK-bound Air India flight that crashed in western India on Thursday are believed to have died, News18 reported.

At least five students were also killed and several injured when the plane slammed into a medical college hostel, with Ahmedabad Police confirming that 25 people were injured on the ground.

Air India Flight AI171, carrying 242 people, crashed in the Meghaninagar residential area shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India’s western state of Gujarat, according to India’s Civil Aviation Directorate General.

The airliner said 169 of the passengers on board were Indian nationals, plus 53 UK citizens, seven from Portugal, and one from Canada, in addition to two pilots and 10 members of the cabin crew.