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All Flights Out of Ahmedabad's Airport are Suspended Until Further Notice; CNN News 18: About 30 People on Ground Rushed to Hospital; UK Working with Authorities in India to Support Those Affected, Foreign Minister Says; Plane Crashed into a Medical School's Canteen Building; Air India Jet with 242 on Board Crashes Near Ahmedabad Airport. Aired 9:20-10a ET
Aired June 12, 2025 - 09:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:20:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: And as we pick up our coverage here on CNN International, we are following this breaking news out of
India. Joining me at this hour is Sidharath Kapur, joining from Mumbai, India. I believe we may have him with us. We do. It's good to have you
here, a senior aviation professional with extensive experience.
We're going to get to you in just a moment sir, if you could stay with me. I do want to check in now with my colleague Salma Abdelaziz, who is
following some of the very latest developments out of London for us. Salma, what more are we learning as we now move a couple of hours, several hours,
in fact, into this investigation and, of course, into this heart wrenching news of this plane crash in India?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think we have to start, of course, with the news from the city's police commissioner, no survivors, because
that is absolutely causing the hearts of families from London to India to sink right now. It was difficult to imagine how anyone could have survived
when you look at those images.
But of course, for those loved ones, they needed that confirmation. They needed that knowledge of their final fate. And we've learned that this
tragedy is even bigger possibly than we imagined, with the police commissioner saying that because this plane crashed into a busy residential
area, there may also be more victims on the ground.
We've heard from our local affiliate in India, which says that dozens of people have flooded the local hospital. Dozens of victims have flooded the
local hospital, which begins to give you a sense of the scope and scale of this tragedy. India's Prime Minister has responded and says he is
heartbroken to hear of this news.
He's sending his top men, his top resources, on the ground, to provide that support to what is now going to be a recovery operation. We've seen the
remains of the plane lodged into a building. So, one could assume that recovering the black box will be relatively easy, but it is about those 242
souls and potentially the other victims on the ground salvaging what you can.
We've seen some of those emergency workers pulling luggage out of the rubble. So that begins to give you a sense of every scrap there on the
ground. Every scrap in the middle of that burnt out scene needs to be pulled out, needs to be protected and needs to be given to those families.
Again, we are looking at 242 souls who have lost their lives. Plus, potentially more who have been killed, harmed or injured in this crash on
the ground. All of this happening in mere moments. We've seen almost minute by minute what's happened now through various social media videos and
videos on the ground.
A plane that was supposed to be taking off in just a moment after that take off, which took place just around 01:40 local time, just a moment after
that take off, the pilots realized something is terribly wrong. They call a May Day. It is simply too late, and that plane drops from an altitude that
of only 625 feet.
That's how high it got, dropping at a rate of 470 feet per minute. That was a quick crash causing this massive fireball explosion in the damage that
you're seeing in those images, to the buildings, the scorched earth, the fires and the flames. You can imagine that the plane was full of fuel, of
course, for this long journey.
So now those emergency crews on the ground are trying to contain the scene, treat and send anyone to hospital who was injured or wounded in the
accident, and salvage what they can from the plane and the belonging of the passengers. So, they can begin to address the heartache that these families
are feeling again in this global tragedy.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Salma, appreciate the updates. Thank you. We'll continue to check in with you. Of course, I also want to do bring in now
our guest, Sidharath Kapur who is joining us from Mumbai, a senior aviation professional, as I noted. Sir, you have extensive experience when it comes
to airport operation, when it comes to infrastructure.
Salma just walked us through more about what we know, sort of the more personal side here, right. 242 passengers and crew on board, significant
concerns about additional victims and those impacted on the ground there, given how dense and given where this aircraft went down.
As you look at what is happening in those final moments and where we stand now, what stands out to you? Where are your first questions as this
investigation gets underway?
SIDHARATH KAPUR, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GMR AIRPORT: Erica, thank you for having me. I think there are two or three things which stand out. I
mean, firstly, it's one of the worst accidents in the near history of aviation across the globe. And looking at the size and scale actually, to
you know, to some extent, it reminds me of 9/11 when an aircraft just crashed into a building.
[09:25:00]
Of course, that was a different situation, and this is an accident. But having said that, an aircraft full of fuel just takes off and cannot -- you
know, acquire the height it needs and the trust it needs to take it further, just loses altitude and crashing scratches into a very densely
populated area.
Of course, you know, it has crashed into a medical school. But the fact is that Meghani Nagar, which is the area where it has crashed, is a fairly,
you know, congested and a crowded area. Now, the reason why it happens, I mean, of course, there will be investigations AAIB, from the Indian
government, will lead the investigation and do an investigation in it.
There would be other people involved, including, of course, Boeing and FAA and others. But having said that, the reason for it, of course, will take
some time to come out. But whether it was a technical fault of the engines and the aircraft, whether it was a bird strike or whether it was a pilot
error. I mean, these issues will, of course, take time to reach a conclusion.
HILL: Yeah.
KAPUR: And they do need to, you know, we do need to know exactly, you know, what the reason is, so that it becomes a benchmark in terms of other
aircrafts. But one thing stands out is that, you know, the airport infrastructure in India has become fairly constrained, especially because
of the overall of the city.
Now, accidents like this happen, but the impact of accidents like this exacerbates because of the very crowded population around the airport,
which has actually encompassed by the entire city itself. I mean, this is Ahmedabad. If you take a city like Mumbai, the airport is right in the
center of the city, and it is completely surrounded and I mean, one can only dread if an accident like this happens in a place like Mumbai.
HILL: Right.
KAPUR: So, there is definitely a need to, you know, do some introspection about how airport infrastructure needs to be handled. I mean, if it's a
bird strike, then within the airport, of course, they have their systems and operational processes for, you know, handling birds and warding them
off within the premises of the airport.
But how do you control birds which are in the crowded areas? There is garbage there, which attracts birds, and how do you control that in a very,
very crowded, you know, areas which are around the airport?
HILL: Yeah, absolutely.
KAPUR: So, if it is a bird strike, I think there is a very strong need to look at what needs to be done, especially in the funnel of the take-off of
an airport like Ahmedabad or Delhi or Mumbai or New York, for example. So that at least we are quite confident that the aircraft cannot get impacted
by any kind of bird situation after the -- you know, the boundary of the airport.
HILL: So, I just pick up on a couple of things you said. Number one, given the way that you're laying out the geography in this area where the airport
is located, how dense the area is around it. I was surprised at how quickly it seemed limited airport operations resumed.
So, we're told that the crash was at 01:39 local time, at 04:05 local time, the airport saying limited operations had resumed. Does that surprise you
at all that the airport would once again be made available so quickly, given that this is A, so close to the area and B, what will need to be done
in terms of securing that site?
KAPUR: Well, firstly, there hasn't been any issue with the airport itself in terms of the runway or the boundary of the airport. But yes, I do think
that issues of bird strike around the airport should have been investigated a bit more to see that if there are such issues like this, how do we handle
it for, you know, the aircraft which are to be taking off, you know, now, today, tomorrow, day after and subsequently.
So, there is definitely a need to look at if this has been a bird strike and actually evaluate if there has been any situation of birds around the
airport, beyond the premises of the airport, and that, I think, is a question for the city to look into and ensure that the area is safe for
takeoff and landing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
HILL: And when we also look at this. You know, the images that we're seeing. It is remarkable. It seems that there were, you know, officials on
site, responders on site so quickly there, in the wake of this tragic crash of this jet we see in one of the videos, of course, this massive fireball,
when we're talking about enough fuel for a flight that, of course, is more than nine hours, and just how widespread that destruction, that damage
could be.
It does seem, based on early reporting, that officials were able to get portions of that under control fairly quickly. And just put into
perspective for us, if you would, how important that is to limit any further damage, any further casualties?
KAPUR: Yeah, I would definitely appreciate the response of, you know, people and service providers has been very quick, and they have come on the
site, and they have taken charge of things very, very quickly and very efficiently. So that is definitely a positive sign.
And I mean, it is, of course, a terrible tragedy, because what I'm now hearing is that all the passengers are lost, and there can be more
tragedies. As far as you know, some of the people on the ground are concerned. We yet don't know how many of those are affected or impacted.
But definitely, I think the response has been excellent.
HILL: Which is good to hear, and I would imagine too, it does, in some ways help that this was, in fact, so close to the airport, because you will have
a number of trained first responders available who know how to handle, frankly, an incident like this involving an aircraft.
KAPUR: That's right. So, I'm sure there are airport officials who know how to handle the situation, who are also part of the team. Apart from that,
you know the local civil guard, and also the police, I think their response has been very quick and very efficient.
And also, the medical team, which has arrived on the site and taken charge of the situation and taken people to the affected people, injured people to
the hospital. I think that has also been very efficient and very quick.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. And having that hospital right there. Sidharath Kapur, really appreciate your insight, your expertise. Thank you for
joining us this hour.
KAPUR: Thank you. Thank you.
HILL: As the investigation into this crash gets underway, that will, of course, begin to happen once rescue operations have concluded. CNN's
Richard Quest joined my colleague earlier to talk exactly about how the investigation itself will proceed. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT-LARGE (voice-over): So -- that's straightforward, Annex 13 of ICAO, which is the United Nations body on
this. Annex 13 is absolutely clear. It is the state where the incident took place. So, in this case, it is India, which unfortunately, does have
experience of this, because they've had various incidents over the years.
So, it'll be the civil aviation authorities in India that will take the lead, and then you'll have parties to the investigation, and those parties
will include the NTSB from the United States, because it's U.S. made aircraft. The plane was going to the UK, so the AAIB, the Air Accident
Investigation Board, will also be on board.
And then you'll end up with, you know, there will be representatives from the countries of the different nationalities. So, there'll be a lot of
people who will be accredited to the investigation, but the core ones will be the Americans, the British and the Indians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The short duration of this flight, as we just heard from some of a minute, if not less, what does that tell you about what
investigators are going to be asking themselves as they tried to pinpoint a cause.
QUEST (voice-over): Sure. Well, you saw from the fundamental assumption that the plane is that is at maximum thrust, and the settings of the flaps
and all the other control surfaces are correct then the plane goes into the air. You pull back on the stick, the nose goes up, the lift increases, and
you fly.
Something interrupted that process, whether it's because, as your previous test was saying, something got ingested into the engines, but if that
happened, you know, if you lose one engine, you can fly on another, that the plane is well capable of flying on 1x or one engine.
Did they lose both? Was it all too quick, and therefore the plane just fell out the sky? Were there incorrect settings? Incorrect settings are an
interesting one, because these days modern aircraft, it's quite difficult to actually get an incorrect setting of such that the plane will warn you
in many ways of errors that in previous times would have doomed an aircraft.
[09:35:00]
So, I think, and yeah, you know, are we talking about -- let's put on the table the question of nefarious activity that will also be looked at,
because, of course, the current regional tensions in the area, nobody will be for one second thinking about whether this was man caused, instead of
aviation related.
So that will certainly be very quick, and in fact, I would imagine, relatively quickly, with the black boxes and the debris, they will be
establishing that there wasn't some other reason, some nefarious reason, that brought the plane out of the sky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And as we're continuing to talk about this tragedy that happened. It's important to know Boeing data shows this is the first fatal accident
involving that type of aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner. CNN Aviation Analyst Mary Schiavo has more specifically about this plane and its safety record.
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, in terms of Hull losses or total air disasters, this will be the first. Now, when the Dreamliner first came
out, they had problems with the Dreamliner batteries. There were runaway battery overheating fires. They were difficult to put out, but that was
many years ago in Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration.
And you know, there were battery guidance put out around the world after that, but they worked on that, and that problem has not resurfaced in
recent years. And so that were the glitches when it was new. And it's kind of typical for a brand-new model airplane for the first year or two, you
really do have to work out a few kinks.
They did. There was no loss of life because of these runaway battery fires on the Dreamliner. And after that, it's had a good service. But Boeing will
be under extra scrutiny because of the 737 Max 8 crashes in Indonesia and in Kenya because in Addis Ababa, because of the issue with the computer
program called MCAS.
Now this is a different plane. It doesn't have quite the same system, but Boeing will be under tremendous scrutiny to show that those kinds of
problems could not have possibly been replicated on this plane. You know, whether or not it's entirely different or not that will be looked at.
I mean, it's just a fact that Boeing is going to have to face. They're going to have to prove that there was no possibility, that kind of system
programming computer glitch could have occurred again, even though it's an entirely different plane.
HILL: I want to go to now CNN Correspondent Nada Bashir, who is live at London's Gatwick Airport, which is, of course, where the plane was
scheduled to land later today. And Nada, there has been a reception area set up there for families.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a huge moment of anguish, of course, for family members relatives waiting for more
information from officials surrounding the fate of their loved ones who were on board that flies, as we understand it, among the 242 passengers and
crew members who were on board, at least 53 are confirmed to have been British nationals.
So, there is a huge focus, of course, here for the government and authority from the United Kingdom on coordinating with officials in India as the
investigation into this crash now continues and unfolds, and as you mentioned, a reception center has been set up here, as well as a hotline
for relatives and family members waiting to get those updates.
Gatwick has said that they will also be providing support, of course, for those bereaved family members who may come here to Gatwick Airport, just
outside of London, to wait for that update of information coming from officials. Of course, the government is also keeping a close eye on this.
We've heard from the Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said described the scene in India as devastating, but he's also said that he is being kept
abreast of the ongoing investigation, any updates that may be coming from officials in India. And of course, we've also heard from the Foreign
Secretary David Lammy.
He spoke just a short while ago in the House of Commons, addressing lawmakers there. He has confirmed that the British government has stood up
crisis teams both in Delhi and London to coordinate with officials in India, with regards to both the investigation and providing emergency
support for family members and relatives.
And of course, we've also heard from the royal family as well. Important to note that there are huge and long standing historical and cultural ties, of
course, between the United Kingdom and India. There is a huge Indian community here in the United Kingdom. So, this is a deeply personal crisis
for many.
And we heard from King Charles saying, my wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning.
[09:40:00]
He said that the royal family's special prayers and deepest possible sympathies are with the families and friends of those affected, and he also
paid tribute to the emergency services who have responded to this fatal plane crash. But again, we are still waiting for more information with
regards to how this will impact family members and loved ones.
We haven't yet seen the typical sort of gathering here at Gatwick airport of family members and relatives. But of course, this is a very sensitive
and delicate time for those relatives and loved ones. So of course, officials are taking extra precautions to ensure that this is also a moment
of privacy for those impacted as well, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, it's such an important point anguish and privacy, and that privacy so important for those family members in this moment as they wait
for more answers as well. Nada, I appreciate it. Earlier, I also spoke with Aviation Analyst Scott Hamilton, talking about this specific aircraft.
As he noted, this was the first fatal accident to involve a Boeing 787. This is one of the most advanced planes made by Boeing. Here's more of that
exchange.
SCOTT HAMILTON, AVIATION ANALYST: Well, we don't know much of anything, as you pointed out, the only thing we know was there was a May Day call, and
the plane didn't get very high. Looking at that video, though, and mind you, this is an amateur video. The thing that stood out to me is it did not
look like the flaps were extended.
Now the flight data recorder, the cockpit voice recorder, will be able to verify that or not, but in the video, it did not look like the flaps were
extended and the flaps weren't extended. Then the slats probably were extended on the leading edge and many a plane has crashed because the flaps
and slats were not extended.
Now I really want to caution. That's just what I could see on this amateur video, on a very small screen. I'm traveling. I'm on my laptop, computer.
So, I just want to really be cautious about that, sure.
HILL: And that is understandable for people who aren't familiar with the workings of a plane. Just put into context for us what it means when those
flaps do not extend. What does that mean for the plane itself, and how it can or cannot operate?
HAMILTON: It now let's remember that the pilots set the flaps and the slats. It's not the airplane that that does that, and if the flaps and
slats are not set properly on takeoff, the wings don't generate the lift that's necessary. And what you can see in this video is that the plane is
kind of flat and starts to -- so my first impression is that this may be a flap and slat issue that you don't get lift on.
Now, again, we won't know that until we get the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder and perhaps better camera videos from other
angles, because this was an angle from the rear of the airplane and it's just pretty difficult to really get a firm grip on both flaps and slats
were extended or not.
HILL: Yeah. And I'm just, I'm going to see if the out of control. I don't know if we could put up that video specifically that Scott is referring to,
that we have from someone on the ground, as Mary Schiavo pointed out, important to note, we don't know the exact angle that it was taken off.
And I do want to give you a warning that this may be difficult for some people. This video showing just moments before the plane crashes, and we
can see what appears to be some of that crash afterwards, as we work to get that video up, we also, of course, had just shown our viewers what appears
to be the tail of the plane in a building in this residential area.
As we're talking about that video there you can see it these very important flight data recorders, the cockpit voice recorder. It's my understanding
that oftentimes those are located in the tail of the plane. So potentially, this could be helpful in terms of that investigation and access to those
black boxes in a timelier manner, frankly.
HAMILTON: That's right, the black boxes are in the tail of the airplane, precisely because the tail is usually the part of the airplane that
survives a crash -- like this. The investigators are going to certainly take a look at the pilot history, the maintenance of the airplane, whether
there might have been any foreign object debris on the runway, whether there might have been a bird strike.
And once they have a chance to look at the videos and enhance this video that we've seen, or see other videos, they may well zero in on this flaps
and slats issue that appears to me like the flaps were up. I couldn't see the slats.
HILL: And again, that conversation with Scott Hamilton.
[09:45:00]
We are continuing to follow this breaking news out of Ahmedabad, India, as we learn additional details of this crash of that Air India jet flight 171
which was to be on its way to Gatwick in London. We'll continue to bring you those developments throughout the day here on CNN. Going to fit in a
quick break. We'll be right here on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Thanks for staying with us here, if you're just joining us, we're following the breaking news out of India. An Air India jet flight 171 which
was scheduled to go from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick Airport, crashing just about a minute after takeoff, following the issue of a May Day call.
242 passengers and crew on board the aircraft itself, also crashing in a densely populated residential area just outside the airport. There are
significant concerns about potential victims on the ground as well. We're continuing to following all of these developments, and of course, we're
bringing you those updates as we learn more.
There's also a fair amount of video and still images that are coming in from the scene of that crash. I do want to warn you, some of those images
are disturbing. They do help, though, to paint the picture of what happened this in particular, this video of the plane's, frankly, the plane's final
moments.
There have been questions about the landing gear that is seen there and even the angle of the plane, you see this fireball that erupts just after
the crash. This, of course, was a flight, more than nine-hour flight, that was scheduled, so it would have been a jet filled, of course, with fuel.
As I noted, the pilots made that May Day call to air traffic controllers shortly after takeoff. CNN's Richard Quest noting that, that call alone
could really help investigators figure out why exactly the plane went down.
QUEST: That's very significant, because it means they knew they were in trouble. It means something went wrong. It means they had a warning that
something was happening. Now we start to refocus slightly. Does it mean we have a better idea of what that was no, but it means that they were aware
in the cockpit.
And that also means that the cockpit voice recorder will have good information in a sense of what was happening. You'll hear noises. You'll
hear the crew talking to each other, saying, this has happened. That's happened. You'll actually hear them saying, the May Day call, as they deal
with it, and then you'll hear and you'll see on the other recorders. So yes, that is significant.
HILL: Joining me now. Ian Petchenik is Director of Communications at Flightradar24. Ian, it's good to have you with us. So, part of what
everyone has been, you know, parsing through in terms of the limited information that we have, is just how quickly everything happened.
The plane is scheduled to take off at 01:38 crashes at 01:39 we know there was that May Day call, as Richard was just talking about. There's also the
flight information that we have from flight radar, that contact was lost, essentially, it got as high as 625 feet.
[09:50:00]
What happened after that? Walk us through what you were able to see.
IAN PETCHENIK, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AT FLIGHTRADAR24: The -- like you mentioned, the data is very limited, but what we're seeing is the aircraft
commenced what appears to be a normal takeoff roll, gained altitude and then lost height, as the video has shown.
Obviously with the knowledge now that there was a May Day call from the flight crew, it becomes a question of what systems on the aircraft were
working, what systems on the aircraft were not working, and then what led to the crash. And investigators are going to look very closely at what the
flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder are telling them to figure that out.
HILL: What else in this moment, right, as we're waiting for that and again, some of the images that we have received from the ground are what appear to
be the tail section of the plane in a building in the area where that jet went down. That is key, because, of course, that is where the black boxes
will be housed that will provide additional information about the plane, also about the communications between the pilots and the crew in the
moments before contact was lost, with the plane.
Putting all that together, how important is it as well to have this flight radar information play into the investigation?
PETCHENIK: Well, the ADS-B data is very helpful in the initial look at what happened. In previous incidents, it's been very helpful in providing a pre
flight data recorder availability set of details. Certainly, in this case, because the aircraft crashed so soon after takeoff, we know where the
accident site is right away, and because it was so close to the airport and folks were recording on video.
There's a wealth of evidence that investigators are going to be able to draw from, not only the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice
recorder, but all of that video and still photo evidence is going to be helpful for the investigators to understand the full picture of what
happened.
HILL: And when it comes to you know the information that flight radar can provide. We look at the fact that this aircraft was so low, that has been
noted as well in terms of, you know when you all will pick up a plane, for example, and how long you're able to monitor it.
PETCHENIK: Sure. So, so absolutely, we aim to have ground coverage at every airport around the world. That's obviously an ongoing effort, and the goal
is to be able to track every aircraft from the time it turns on its transponder till the time it turns off its transponder at its rival
airport.
In this case, we were able to track the aircraft on the ground for a bit. We've done some post processing of more granular data to understand that
the aircraft did, in fact, use the full length of the runway. There is a back taxi in place where the aircraft taxis from the terminal, joins the
runway about halfway down, back taxis to the end of the runway so that it can do a full-length departure.
So, we've been able to process data to understand that's the case. Now, unfortunately, the ADS-B data doesn't give us much information about what
went wrong, and that's going to come down to the investigators and their ability to read the data recorders.
HILL: Sure, but each piece of this public puzzle, understandably, is important, and so the fact that, as you noted, you aim to provide some of
this information at all the airports around the world. Just give us a sense of how that has maybe changed in recent years in terms of not only the data
that you're able to collect and then make available to investigators, but has there been a request for certain types of data following prior
incidents that we've seen?
PETCHENIK: Absolutely. The ADS-B data has become extremely important for understanding incidents and accidents around the world. We can often
provide data almost instantaneously, rather than waiting for the black box to be recovered, so investigators get a head start.
And there's also been numerous incidents around the world where aircraft that aren't required to have crash protected memory recorders. We've been
able to provide data on those incidents so investigators have a fuller picture of what has happened to those aircraft.
HILL: Yeah, it's so important. Ian Petchenik, really appreciate you joining us and walking us through some of that this hour. Thank you. There is, of
course, reporting coming in, not just when we talk about the investigation, the technical side of things, but also what is happening on the ground.
We're getting more information from our colleague, Zakka Jacob, who's the Managing Editor for CNN's Affiliate, CNN News18 in India. He joined me a
short time ago with more of that reporting from New Delhi.
ZAKKA JACOB, MANAGING EDITOR OF CNN NEWS18: They don't expect any of them to survive. There were 242 people on board, 230 of them passengers, 12 crew
members. One of the passengers, incidentally, happens to be a Former Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat, which is where this plane crashed.
[09:55:00]
It took off a little after half past 1 this afternoon at 01:38 and within five minutes of take off the captain lost communication with air traffic
control, and within 20 minutes before 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the plane crashed just on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city.
It crashed onto a building which was a hostel facility where undergraduate medical students at that time had gathered for lunch. So, there are a large
number of people who were there in that building at that time. It was the lunch hour, just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
We're also given to understand that aside of the people who are on board this flight, none of whom are expected to survive. There's also a grave
fear that a large number of people who were in the building on which this plane crashed may have also perished.
HILL: And again, our thanks to Zakka Jacob for that reporting. If you are just joining us, this, of course, is our breaking news coverage of the
crash of Air India Flight 171 which went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in the west of India. Earlier today, it, of course, was
scheduled to make its way to London's Gatwick Airport, as you just heard from Zakka there 242 people on board.
None are believed to have survived, but the fact that this aircraft also went down in a densely populated residential area, adding to concerns about
victims on the ground. Much more to come on the other side of a quick break, stay with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
