At least 30 persons have been confirmed dead in the tragic flight crash near Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday. As many as 242 passengers and 10 crew members were onboard the London-bound aircraft.
According to reports, rescuers have recovered at least 30 bodies from the accident site. According to DirectrDirectorate General of Civil Aviation, the Ahmedabad-London flight crashed immediately after it took off from the airport in Gujarat's capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have reportedly started to Gujarat from New Delhi. Modi spoke with Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and directed him to take all necessary measures.
Amit Shah said he spoke with Gujarat chief minister and assessed the situation. He tweeted, "Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site. Spoke with the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, and Commissioner of Police Ahmedabad to assess the situation."
Also read
- What led to the tyre burst of Jeddah-Kozhikode Air India Express flight
- What happened to the Gujarati couple and their 3-year-old who were kidnapped in Libya on an illegal route to Portugal?
- Air India twisting the knife on IndiGo with A320 pilot recruitment? AIX captains cry foul, says report
- 11 Pak nationals taken to Gujarat after Coast Guard seizes foreign fishing boat in India’s EEZ
AI171 Ahmedabad-London Air India flight crashed outside the Ahmedabad airport immediately after it took off, DGCA said. In a statement, DGCA said, "Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of two pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar."
"As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site," the civil aviation authority said in a statement.
The Gujarat CMO tweeted, "The State Govt of Gujarat has set up a control room at the State Emergency Operation Centre in connection with the Ahmedabad plane crash. The concerned can contact the control room on Phone No.079-232-51900 and Mobile No.9978405304."
