Air After the Air India plane crash, an eyewitness spoke to PTI about what he saw. Air India AI-171 aircraft, carrying 242 passengers, crashed near Gujarat’s Meghaninagar area just five minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport.

The local eyewitness told PTI that he had rushed to the site after hearing a loud sound, which felt like an earthquake.

“When we stepped out, we saw thick smoke in the air. We were not aware that it was a plane crash,” he said.

“When we came at the crash site, bodyan bahot saari padi hain (we saw so many dead bodies over here),” the eyewitness said.

As he was speaking to the agency, the disturbing visuals behind and around him showed glimpses of the crash site. Officials moved around while common people seemed to be also present at the location.

Air India plane crash: What we know so far

An Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12 with 242 people on board, including 2 infants and 12 crew members.

The crash happened around 1:38 PM, just five minutes after takeoff, in a residential area near Meghani Nagar. Thick smoke was seen from far away.

Emergency teams, including the fire brigade and ambulances, rushed to the scene. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

While no official number has been released yet, sources claim that at least 120 people have been killed in the Air India plane crash.

Air India confirmed the pilots’ names as Sumit Sabharwal and Clive Kunder. The Civil Aviation Ministry, Gujarat Government, and Ahmedabad Police have released helpline numbers for affected families.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken with Home Minister Amit Shah and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. PM Modi has asked them to visit Ahmedabad and provide all possible help.

According to his post on X (formerly Twitter), Union Minister Naidu is personally monitoring the situation, with emergency teams on high alert.