Ahmedabad | The Air India plane bound for London, which lost altitude soon after take- off, crashed into residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area on Thursday, causing severe damage to buildings in the premises, eyewitnesses said.

Several people living in the residential quarters located near the Ahmedabad airport were injured in the crash, they claimed though there was no official confirmation of this.

The plane was flying very low and it crashed into the residential quarters of doctors of the government-run college, an eyewitness, Haresh Shah, told PTI.

"There are several five-floor buildings which serve as residential quarters. Many people in those apartments were injured as the buildings also caught fire," he said.

Another eyewitness said several cars and vehicles parked in the premises also caught fire.

A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a residential area minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. Many people were feared killed.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171) could be seen from afar, losing altitude rapidly and crashing in a ball of fire that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.

The aircraft carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew crashed in Meghaninagar area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 2 pm.