Smoke was seen from an airport an Air India plane had taken off from moments earlier before crashing into homes.

The Boeing 787 had departed at 1:17 pm and was due to land at Gatwick Airport at 6pm local time. But just minutes into flight AI171, the aircraft lost altitude and descended into a residential area.

Footage captured the plane exploding in a fireball, followed by thick clouds of smoke.

The crash happened a short distance from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the Meghani Nagar area of Gujarat.

Officials said that 242 people, including two pilots and 10 crew, were onboard the flag carrier. The passengers included 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian along with Indian nationals.