All 156 passengers on flight AI 379 had been escorted from the plane, in line with emergency plans, an Airports of Thailand official said. The aircraft took off from Phuket airport bound for the Indian capital at 9.

Investigators in India are working through the night to try and identify the cause of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 of the 242 passengers onboard.

The captain was reportedly a few months from retirement.