A viral video has surfaced capturing the harrowing moment Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Wednesday afternoon. The footage shows the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered as VT-ANB, losing altitude rapidly before erupting into flames near the Meghani Nagar area, just beyond the airport perimeter.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the flight was operating the Ahmedabad-to-London Gatwick route and had just taken off from runway 23 at 13:39 IST. Onboard were 242 people, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew members. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was accompanied by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flight hours.

As per the DGCA, the aircraft issued a MAYDAY call shortly after departure but stopped responding to Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications soon after. The aircraft then crashed just outside the airport boundary, with thick black smoke and flames seen billowing from the crash site, according to visuals from the ground.

Emergency response teams rushed to the scene as rescue operations began. The condition of the passengers and crew remains unknown, and officials are expected to provide further details after ongoing investigations.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for verified updates.

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