Air India, whose numbers differed from those of the national civil aviation authority, reported that two fewer people, or 242, were on board, including crew.

There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals on board, according to the airline.

The police first said there were no survivors of those on board. However, one passenger has survived the crash and has been hospitalised, according to authorities.

Local media reported that the aircraft crashed into a medical staff hostel in Ahmedabad shortly after it left the runway. Unverified photos show the tail of the plane lodged in a building with plumes of black smoke billowing behind it.

It is unclear how many were injured on the ground. Police Commissioner GS Malik said “some (residents) would have also died” in the wreckage.

“Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” Malik added. He later told the press that at least 41 were taken to hospital for treatment.

Malik also told India’s ANI news agency that one of the passengers, identified by his seat number 11A, survived the crash and “has been in the hospital and is under treatment”.

The flight manifest made public by authorities identifies the person in seat 11A as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a UK citizen.

“We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff,” tracking website Flight Radar wrote in a post on X.

The Air India flight was scheduled to arrive at 6:25 pm local time (7:25 pm CEST).

Videos from the scene show a low-flying aircraft trailing flames and descending toward a residential neighbourhood before bursting into orange and black smoke.

‘Heartbreaking beyond words’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words”.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes of a “London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.”

The UK Foreign Office has arranged crisis teams in India and the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

“My thoughts, and I’m sure those of the entire House, are with those who’ve been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning,” Lammy told the House of Commons.

“We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London.”

India’s Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said he was “shocked and devastated” when news of the crash in the Indian state of Gujarat broke.

“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,” Ram Mohan Naidu said.

“Rescue teams have been mobilised, 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.”

The jet was 11 years old. This is the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft, which was introduced in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

Boeing said it was aware of reports and “working to gather more information.”

Air India’s Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said that the company’s “primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.”