London-bound Air India plane with 242 people onboard crashes near airport in India's Gujarat

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- An Air India flight to London crashed Thursday shortly after takeoff from an airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat, officials said.

The flight with 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members, onboard took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.

Reports said the passenger aircraft went down in the Meghani area of the city.

According to officials, immediately after the crash, authorities rushed over two dozen ambulances to the spot to carry out rescue work.

Video footage from the site aired on television news channels shows thick columns of smoke rising from the ground.

Police have diverted traffic from the area.

Officials, so far, have not issued any statement on the number of casualties in the crash.

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.■