At least 204 dead in crash of Air India plane bound for London

An Air India flight with over 200 passengers on board crashed shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad airport, Western India. Flight AI171 was en route to London Gatwick with 242 people on board, including 217 adults and 11 children. "There appear to be no survivors," said Ahmedabad Police Chief G.S. Malik to The Associated Press, noting that the crash in a residential area with offices likely also killed some locals. At least 204 bodies have been recovered, although an official number has not been confirmed yet. According to the airline, there were 169 Indian, 53 British, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese passengers on board. FlightRadar24 reports that the plane took off at 9:50 a.m. local time but lost signal at 10:08 a.m. at an altitude of only 190 meters, less than a minute after takeoff. Thick black smoke was seen over the airport after the crash. Air India stated that current information will be posted on their website. The scheduled arrival time in London was 6:25 p.m. Indian Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu expressed being "shocked and devastated," with his "thoughts and prayers with all those on board and their families."