Russian President Vladimir Putin condoles Ahmedabad plane crash

"Please accept the deepest condolences over the tragic consequences of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad," he said.

"Kindly convey the words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and near ones of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured in this catastrophe," he added.

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London crashed with 242 people onboard immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.

All those on board, except for one passenger, died in the crash as the flight went down within five minutes of departure at 1:38 PM, sending up plumes of smoke near the crash site.

It hit a medical college hostel, leaving five students dead as well.

The flight carried 169 Indian passengers, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.

Dense smoke was seen rising from the Dharpur area near Meghaninagar in Ahmedabad, prompting the immediate deployment of fire brigades and emergency response units. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the crash.

A video of the aircraft showed it was struggling to gain altitude before it slammed on the ground and exploded in a massive ball of fire at 1.38 pm. It was loaded with fuel since it was flying a long distance to London.

Shortly after take-off, the pilot sent out a mayday call. There was no response after that to repeated calls from the air traffic controller, according to reports.