Air India check-in desks remain empty at Gatwick Airportpublished at 17:24 British Summer Time 12 June
17:24 BST 12 June
Alex Boyd Reporting from Gatwick Airport
Image source, EPA
It's a strange atmosphere at Gatwick this afternoon.
Throughout the day I've seen hundreds of groups, couples and
families travel through the airport as usual.
Many are unaware of what's happened until they see the crowd of
world media gathered outside the departures area.
As we head towards when the Ahmedabad flight was due to land,
the Air India check in desks in the South Terminal remain empty aside from some
airport staff.
Gatwick says it's set up a reception centre for the families of
those affected.
And another of the airline's flights - scheduled to leave for
Goa later tonight - has been cancelled.
As we've been reporting, the airline began running routes from
the West Sussex airport in March 2023. There are currently 12 departures per
week, five of which go to Ahmedabad.
Names of British engers on board emergingpublished at 17:11 British Summer Time 12 June
17:11 BST 12 June
We're starting to get names of the British engers who were on board the Air India flight.
The BBC can confirm Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter, who lived in Gloucester, were on board the flight.
A statement from the Gloucester Muslim Society, which names the three victims, says: "Today,
we are profoundly heartbroken by the devastating loss of life in the
catastrophic crash of Flight AI171, traveling from Ahmedabad to London."
More pictures from the scenepublished at 16:44 British Summer Time 12 June
16:44 BST 12 June
We're seeing some images from the scene of the crash. Part of the plane can be seen protruding out of the building and a large piece of debris smouldering on the roof.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, EPA
BBC's Visual Journalism team has taken a look at what parts of the plane are visible in published images.
Watch: Our reporter sees plane's wing at crash sitepublished at 16:40 British Summer Time 12 June
16:40 BST 12 June
BBC correspondent Roxy Gagdekar is at the site of the wreckage in Ahmedabad, where a wing from the crashed plane can be seen on the ground among the burnt trees.
Authorities have brought in heavy machinery in the hope of finding survivors, he says.
UK's Gujarati community likely to be hit hard by this tragedypublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 12 June
16:27 BST 12 June
Sima Kotecha Senior UK correspondent
I've been speaking to people connected to those who were on board
the flight.
The news - understandably – hasn't sunk in for several of their
loved ones.
One man sobbed down the phone as he told me how his cousin had
been coming to London for a celebration.
Another explained how the vivid images on television were
causing them more heartbreak as they tried to find out what exactly went wrong
with the flight.
These engers were coming back from the state of Gujarat.
Hundreds of thousands of people with South Asian roots are of
Gujarati heritage in the UK.
The tragedy is likely to hit the community hard as it waits for
more details to unfold.
What we know so farpublished at 16:09 British Summer Time 12 June
16:09 BST 12 June
It's now after 20:30 in
Ahmedabad (16:00 BST). Here is the latest:
An Air India plane crashed in a
residential area near Ahmedabad airport earlier today, just moments after
taking off
The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner,
carrying 242 people
Some 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so
far, according to Ahmedabad police, but it's unclear if all were on the
plane
The local police chief told Indian media there
was one survivor. It is being reported that he is a British national named Vishwashkumar Ramesh
At least 50 medical students are in hospital after the plane
crashed into a doctors' hostel, officials have said
Tata Group, which owns Air India, has said it would give one crore rupees -
the equivalent of around £86,000 - to the families of each person who was
killed in the crash
We'll continue to bring you the latest developments as we get them - so stick with us.
Leicester residents believed to have been on crashed plane - British MPpublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 12 June
16:02 BST 12 June
The MP for Leicester East has said she understands "a
handful of Leicester residents" were on board the crashed plane.
Shivani Raja tells the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan that her
community, which has a high population of British-Gujaratis, is "really
horrified and devastated waking up to such tragic news".
"So far my understanding is that there are a handful of
Leicester residents who were on board that flight - but I am still awaiting for
official reports on that," the Conservative MP says.
Air India organising relief flights for familiespublished at 15:52 British Summer Time 12 June
15:52 BST 12 June
Air India says it is organising two relief flights to Ahmedabad for families of the engers involved in the plane crash and airline staff.
The airline is sending return flights from Delhi and Mumbai that will arrive at 23:00 local time (18:30 BST) and depart shortly after 01:00 local time on Friday (20:30 BST on Thursday) .
In a statement on X, the airline says: "Next of kin of engers and staff in Delhi and Mumbai wanting to travel on these flights can call our hotline on 1800 5691 444. Additionally, those coming in from international destinations and wanting to travel can call our hotline on +91 8062779200."
Families - young, and old - arrive for their summer holidays
with suitcases, neck pillows, and summer hats. Many are oblivious to the
tragedy that's unfolded miles away at another airport.
As the media gather, airport officials say a reception centre
has been set up for families of those who were on board the Air India flight
which was due to land here at 18:25 BST.
I have spoken to British Gujaratis who have taken this flight
many times – this was a popular route getting them direct from London to
Gujarat.
One British Gujarati told me this was the worst tragedy to hit
his community since the Bhuj earthquake back in 2001.
US investigators also heading to Indiapublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 12 June
15:20 BST 12 June
We're also hearing that US investigators will be travelling to India, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) saying it will assist with the crash investigation.
In a post on X, the NTSB says it will be "leading" the US team, adding that the Indian government will be providing "all information" in accordance with international protocols of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency.
The plane that crashed shortly after take-off at India's Ahmedabad airport was a US-manufactured Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
UK officials deployed to Indiapublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 12 June
15:17 BST 12 June
UK officials are being deployed to India to the
investigation into the Ahmedabad plane crash.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says it has "formally offered its assistance" to the
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in India.
It adds that the UK AAIB will have expert
status in the Indian investigation because UK citizens were on board the plane.
"We are deploying a multidisciplinary investigation team to
India to the Indian-led investigation. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic
accident."
A difficult day for all of us - Air India chief executivepublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 12 June
15:10 BST 12 June
The chief executive of Air India, Campbell Wilson, expresses "deep sorrow" following the London-bound plane crash.
In a video statement posted on X, he says: "I would like to express our deep sorrow about this event.
Quote Message
This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our engers, crew , their families and loved ones."
Tata Group to compensate crash victims' familiespublished at 15:01 British Summer Time 12 June
15:01 BST 12 June
Tata Group, which owns Air India, says it will give 1 crore rupees – the equivalent of around £86,000 – to the families of each person who was killed in the crash.
It will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and provide for rebuilding the medical hostel that was hit.
"No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment," it says in a statement posted on X, external.