“The building on which it has crashed is a doctor’s hostel ... we have cleared almost 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told reporters.

According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39pm local time from runway 23. It gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft. Flightradar24 said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.

Gatwick Airport said the plane had been due to land in London at 6.25pm local time. It said on X that more information on the crash would follow.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, posted on X that rescue teams had been mobilised, and all efforts were being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site.

“We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation,” he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were “devastating”, and that he was being kept updated as the situation developed.

“My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time,” Starmer said in a statement.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said he was deeply saddened by news of the crash, while a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said King Charles was being kept updated.

Britain was now working with Indian authorities, Lammy said.

“Deeply saddened by news of a devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad, India,” he posted on X. “My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support.”

Britain has very close ties with India. There were nearly 1.9 million people in the country of Indian descent, according to the 2021 UK census.

A spokesperson for India’s Ahmedabad airport said all flights had been temporarily suspended.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engined plane – one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.

It was introduced in 2009 and more than 1000 have been delivered to dozens of airlines, according to the Flightradar24 website. This is the first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

Boeing, whose shares dropped 8 per cent in pre-market US trading, said it is aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information.

Air India’s chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, said its “primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families”.

He said on X that the airline had set up an emergency centre and support team for families seeking information about those who were on the flight. Air India has also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” Chandrasekaran said.

The last fatal plane crash in India involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.

The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India in 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.

Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.

More to come

Reuters, AP