New Delhi, June 11 (UNI) The London-bound Air India flight 171 crashed immediately after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport around 1.39 pm on Thursday afternoon, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said.

The ill-fated flight took-off from runway 23 and was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including two pilots.

The DGCA reported that shortly after departure, the aircraft made a "MAYDAY" distress call, signaling a life-threatening emergency.

However, despite multiple attempts by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to re-establish communication, the aircraft did not respond. The aircraft fell to the ground outside the airport perimeter shortly thereafter, resulting in a catastrophic crash.

Heavy black smoke emanating from the crash site was seen, indicating the severity of the incident.

The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with 8,200 flying hours. He was assisted by co-pilot Clive Kundar, who has 1,100 hours of flying experience, said the DGCA.

UNI AJ PRS