AHMEDABAD, June 12 — A passenger aircraft carrying 133 people crashed Thursday afternoon in the Meghaninagar area, just outside the Ahmedabad airport, triggering a massive fire and emergency response, police said.
Fire officer Jayesh Khadia confirmed that the aircraft caught fire immediately after impact. “Fire tenders were rushed to the site as soon as we received the alert,” he said, adding that firefighting and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik stated, “A plane crashed near the airport in Meghaninagar. It is not yet clear what type of aircraft it was or the airline involved.”
An aviation source told Reuters that the plane was en route to Birmingham. While officials have not yet confirmed the flight details, local television channels reported that the crash occurred during takeoff. Disturbing visuals aired by several media outlets showed burning wreckage strewn near the crash site, with thick plumes of black smoke rising into the sky.
Footage also captured emergency personnel transferring injured individuals onto stretchers and into ambulances. The extent of casualties is still unknown, and officials have yet to release information on survivors or the exact number of fatalities.
The area around the airport has been cordoned off as teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, and airport authorities work jointly to manage the situation. An investigation into the cause of the crash is expected to be launched once the emergency response stabilizes.
More details are awaited.
