Air India jet crash kills 246 people, with at least 1 passenger surviving: Officials

LONDON and DELHI -- An Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members en route to the United Kingdom crashed into a building shortly after takeoff on Thursday, leaving 246 dead and at least one surviving passenger, local officials and the airline said.

"The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 13:38 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft," the airline said in a statement posted on social media. "Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals."

The victims include 241 passengers and crew members as well as five medical students who were inside the medical college and hospital the aircraft crashed into, according to hospital officials. Many others inside the building were injured -- some seriously -- and are receiving treatment, hospital officials said.

The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad confirmed to ABC News that Vishwaskumar Ramesh, one of the passengers on the downed Air India flight, is alive and hospitalized there.

Vishwaskumar's brother, Nayankumar Ramesh, said it is a "miracle" his brother survived, but is "worried" about his other brother who was also on board.

"He said, 'Our plane's crashed, I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane," Nayankumar Ramesh told ABC News about his brother's escape from the plane. "Just hearing about the crash, I'm scared to fly now, to even stay on a plane now."

Officials earlier said no survivors had been expected in the crash. The process of retrieving the bodies of victims is almost complete and DNA profiling of the family members of victims will be done very soon, according to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.

There were around 125,000 liters of fuel inside the aircraft, with temperatures so high that there was no opportunity to rescue the passengers, Shah said.

The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport, in India's Gujarat state, the city's Police Commissioner G.S. Malik said Thursday. Boeing's Dreamliner planes had not previously been involved in an incident where passenger fatalities were reported. This plane had more than 41,000 hours of flying time, which is considered average for this aircraft, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad. I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau," Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement.

The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane "fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter" immediately after it departed from the airport. Video from the site appeared to show the jet disappear below the tree line, which was followed seconds later by a ball of fire and a thick plume of gray smoke.

"Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site," the Directorate General said in the statement.

The captain had 8,200 hours of experience and the copilot had 1,100 hours of flying experience, India's Directorate General added.

India's Central Industrial Security Force released photos from the site of the crash, which appeared to include civilians and emergency personnel working to put out flaming wreckage. One photo appeared to show the damaged tail of the airplane resting partially inside a hole in a building.

The Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he had "directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action" to respond to the crash.

"Rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site," the minister added.

GE Aerospace, the aircraft engine manufacturer, said in a statement they have also activated their emergency response team and are "prepared to support our customer and the investigation."

The local governor, Bhupendra Patel, spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the crash to coordinate their emergency response, officials said. Patel said he ordered a so-called "green corridor" for emergency vehicles to travel between the crash site and local hospitals.

Modi in a statement confirmed that he'd been in touch with local officials.

"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," he said in a statement on social media. "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it."

The airline initially announced the crash in a statement on social media, saying the flight had been "involved in an incident," adding that it was "ascertaining the details" of the incident. The airline updated its social media profiles to display all-black profile pictures.

Air India also announced it will organize two relief flights, one each from Delhi and Mumbai, to Ahmedabad for the next of kin passengers and Air India staff.

Tata Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate of companies that owns Air India, said they will provide families of each person who has lost their life in the crash with ?1 crore (about $116,000) and will also cover the medical expenses of those injured.

The flight was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad airport, which is officially Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, to London's Gatwick Airport.

It had been scheduled to depart at 9:50 a.m. local time, with a planned arrival time in London at 18:25 p.m. local time. Gatwick in a statement confirmed the scheduled arrival time.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was being updated on the situation in Ahmedabad, adding that his "thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time."

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," Starmer said in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement he is "heartbroken to hear the news of the tragic plan crash" and will "stand with the emergency responders working to help those impacted."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also responded to the incident, saying he extends condolences "to the families of the victims grieving this immense loss."

President Donald Trump told reporters that he has spoken with Modi following the crash and offered support to him during this time.

"The plane crash is terrible, I have told them, anything we can do, it is a big, strong country, they'll handle it. I let them know anything we can do, we'll be over there immediately," Trump said during an event at the White House on Thursday. "Horrific crash, looks like most are gone, they actually maybe have a couple survivors, just heard. Nobody has any idea what it might be. I gave them a couple of pointers, maybe look at this or that. Saw the plane, looked like it was flying well, did not look like an explosion, looked like the engines lost power. Terrible crash, one of the worst in aviation history."

The National Transportation Safety Board will be leading a team of U.S. investigators traveling to India to assist in the investigation of the crash.

All information regarding the investigation will be provided by the Indian government.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Ellie Kaufman, Clara McMichael, Sam Sweeney and Camilla Alcini contributed to this report.