Ahmedabad, June 12 -- Air India flight heading to London crashed just five minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171, was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

The aircraft, which took off at 1:38 PM for Gatwick Airport, went down in a densely populated area of Meghani Nagar. Visuals from the crash site showed thick black smoke rising from the wreckage, which is believed to have struck multiple buildings.

The flight was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a senior commander with 8,200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience. According to of...