London [UK] June 12 (ANI): Newly appointed India Test captain Shubman Gill expressed deep sorrow over the tragic crash of the London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. The Boeing plane with 242 passengers, including 12 crew members, crashed in the Meghani Nagar area shortly after taking off from the airport.

Reacting to the heartbreaking incident, Gill took to his Instagram story to share a message of condolence and solidarity with those affected.

Gill wrote: 'Shaken by the heartbreaking tragedy in Ahmedabad. In this hour of grief, sending prayers to all those affected, and strength to the brave souls helping on the ground.'

Gill joins a growing list of cricketers and public figures who have extended their condolences in the wake of the disaster.

The London-bound Air India flight, which departed from Ahmedabad international airport at 1338 hours and was carrying 242 passengers, including 12 crew members crashed soon after it took off. On board the flight were 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and 7 Portuguese.

Air India today said that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad was bound for London's Gatwick airport. It said a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444 has been set up to provide more information.

The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The official added that the copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC.

Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. The official said that heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site.(ANI)