Un avión de Air India con destino a Londres se estrelló este jueves poco después de despegar del aeropuerto Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel en la ciudad de Ahmedabad, al oeste de la India, informaron fuentes del servicio de bomberos. Según reportes preliminares, al menos 240 personas se encontraban a bordo de la aeronave.

Las imágenes transmitidas por medios locales muestran espesas columnas de humo negro elevándose desde las inmediaciones del aeropuerto. Testigos presenciales indicaron que el incidente ocurrió pocos minutos después del despegue, pero aún no hay confirmación oficial sobre víctimas fatales o heridos.

En un breve comunicado, Air India informó que uno de sus vuelos que cubría la ruta entre Ahmedabad y Londres-Gatwick estuvo “involucrado en un incidente”, sin ofrecer mayores detalles hasta el momento.

Posteriormente, la aerolínea confirmó que su vuelo 171 entre la ciudad occidental de Ahmedabad y Londres Gatwick se había estrellado en un “trágico accidente”.

“Con profundo pesar confirmo que el vuelo 171 de Air India que operaba Ahmedabad Londres Gatwick ha sufrido hoy un trágico accidente”, dijo el presidente de Air India, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, en un comunicado.

“Nuestros pensamientos y más profundas condolencias están con las familias y seres queridos de todos los afectados por este devastador suceso”, dijo, añadiendo que se ha activado un centro de emergencia y se ha creado un equipo de apoyo para las familias que busquen información.

De acuerdo con los informes de la empresa aérea, los entre los pasajeros a bordo del avión accidentado iban 169 indios, 53 británicos, 7 portugueses y un canadiense.

“El vuelo… transportaba 242 pasajeros y miembros de la tripulación a bordo del avión Boeing 787-8”, indicó el comunicado. Entre los 230 pasajeros, “169 son de nacionalidad india, 53 británicos, un canadiense y siete portugueses”.

“Los heridos están siendo trasladados a los hospitales más cercanos”, señaló, añadiendo que “Air India está prestando toda su cooperación a las autoridades que investigan este incidente”.

El primer ministro indio, Narendra Modi, se declaró este jueves conmocionado por el hecho en un mensaje en la red social X: “la tragedia de Ahmedabad nos ha aturdido y entristecido. Es desgarrador más allá de las palabras”.

“En esta triste hora, mis pensamientos están con todos los afectados”, dijo, añadiendo que había “estado en contacto con ministros y autoridades que están trabajando para ayudar a los afectados”.

Las autoridades de aviación civil y equipos de emergencia se encuentran en la zona del siniestro. Se espera que en las próximas horas se emita un parte oficial sobre las causas del accidente y el estado de los ocupantes del avión.

El jefe de Gobierno de Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, expresó su “profunda angustia” por el accidente a través de la red social X y aseguró haber dado “instrucciones para iniciar inmediatamente operaciones de rescate y socorro de emergencia”.

Patel ordenó dar “prioridad absoluta” al tratamiento de los heridos y la creación de un corredor verde para su traslado rápido a los hospitales.

El dirigente estatal añadió que el ministro del Interior de la Unión, Amit Shah, se ha puesto en contacto con él para asegurar el “pleno apoyo del Gobierno Central” y el despliegue de equipos de la Fuerza Nacional de Respuesta a Desastres (NDRF, por sus siglas en inglés) para colaborar en las labores de rescate.

Las acciones del fabricante de aviones Boeing cayeron un 8% en las operaciones previas a la apertura del mercado en EEUU después del accidente de la nave.

Noticia en desarrollo…

An Air India passenger plane carrying more than 200 people crashed Thursday after taking off from an airport in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told The Associated Press. There were 232 passengers and 12 crew members onboard the flight.

«With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,» Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran wrote on X.

Local media showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in northwestern India.  

«At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted,» Chandrasekaran added.

London’s Gatwick Airport also wrote on X that «We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25.»

An Air India airlines jet. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site.

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«We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation,» he said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

EXCLUSIVE: A group of DOGE-minded lawmakers is rolling out a series of budget proposals to add to the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act narrowly passed by the House.

The effort, led by Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman Joni Ernst, will include several major proposals forged by Republicans from both chambers, seeking to help offset trillions in extant government spending.

While a $9.4 billion rescissions package, a formal request from the executive branch to codify its DOGE cuts, is in the works, proponents of the Senate DOGE package say their total estimated savings would accentuate that and also surpass it in value.

NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) ARE NOW ON THE HOOK FOR $36,215,685,667.36 AS OF 6/9/25

«We have a ‘big, beautiful’ opportunity to reduce reckless spending and save billions of dollars,» Ernst told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

«Defunding welfare for politicians, stopping bogus payments and ending unemployment for millionaires are just the start of my commonsense solutions to continue rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. Washington has lived high on the hog for far too long, and now is the time to tighten the belt,» the Senate DOGE chairwoman added.

Senate DOGE addendums to the Big Beautiful Bill Act during negotiations will include a plan from Ernst called the ELECT Act, which she said claws back hundreds of millions of dollars treated as «welfare for politicians.»

While $320 million from the fund was diverted to the Secret Service last year, the current $17 million sitting in the account is expected to rise to the $400 million it typically sat at by the end of the year, Fox News Digital has learned.

‘AMERICA HAS DOGE FEVER’: STATES FROM NJ TO TX DRAFT SIMILAR INITIATIVES AS FEDERAL LEADERS CELEBRATE

Partnered in that first piece of the DOGE package is also language stripping former presidents of certain perks like additional taxpayer-funded office space and non-security-related staff.

More than a dozen Senate Republicans also signed onto that portion of the package.

«The federal government must be held accountable for every tax dollar spent,» said co-sponsor Mike Lee of Utah.

House DOGE Caucus Chair Aaron Bean, R-Fla., also contributed to the package. The Senate version of his DOGE in Spending Act will be included in Senate negotiations.

That portion requires any government expenditure to be accompanied by a tangible record to be provided to the Treasury after DOGE found $160 billion in taxpayer funds being distributed without an identification code or in a fraudulent manner.

«The American people deserve a government that is efficient, accountable and fiscally responsible. That’s why the House successfully advanced DOGE reforms through reconciliation that will safeguard America’s financial future,» Bean told Fox News Digital. 

«I encourage the Senate to build on the work we’ve done in the House to deliver lasting fiscal responsibility to the American people.»

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Other pieces of the Senate’s DOGE package include ending what proponents call «unemployment for millionaires,» disqualifying people earning more than $1 million per year who lose their jobs from any unemployment support.

More than $271 million had been disbursed to that bloc between 2021-2023, proponents said.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a former chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is leading the Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act in the lower chamber. The bill’s language, which ends taxpayer-funded union time when government workers negotiate their contracts while on the clock, will be included in the Senate DOGE package.

Another portion will compel the sale of six unused or underutilized federal buildings in Washington, D.C., that lawmakers say would free up $400 million in savings annually.

The final portion will «snap back inaccurate SNAP payments,» Ernst said.

The effort will work to identify errors, force collection of overpayments to SNAP recipients and hold states with high levels of their own payment inaccuracies accountable for their negligence.

In 2023, approximately $11 billion in SNAP funds were overpaid, but the package’s authors noted individual errors of $54 or less aren’t included in the tally.

Democrats have been critical of DOGE efforts and the separate rescissions package. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Fox News Thursday a successful version of the latter hasn’t passed since the first Bush administration.

«Congress’ role in setting spending would be done away with, so this first rescission should be defeated,» he said.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.