London-bound plane crashes in India with 242 on board

An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India's federal health minister said that "many people" were killed.

The plane was headed to Britain's Gatwick airport, Air India said. Meanwhile, police officers said it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.

The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1:38 a.m., was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals, Air India said in a statement. 

India's civil aviation minister, Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, has expressed shock over the crash.

"Shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. Rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families," Kinjarapu wrote on social media.