Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171 that occurred Thursday minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,” the prime minister said in a post on handle X.
The Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was headed to London’s Gatwick Airport with 242 people on board, including 232 passengers and 12 crew members. The passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national. Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was also among the passengers.
While the cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, reports, quoting Flightradar24, said the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet before starting to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute. The last signal from the aircraft was received seconds after takeoff.
The prime minister spoke to Minister of Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu to take stock of the incident. He directed the minister to ensure all necessary support immediately and regular updates on the situation.
All relevant agencies have also been put on high alert, while coordinated efforts were underway to deal with the situation arising from the crash. National Disaster Response Force teams from Gandhinagar have reached the site and more units from Vadodara were en route.