As per the passenger list, 169 Indians were onboard the flight, including former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani. The list also included 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Ahmedabad: An Air India flight to London crashed five minutes after take-off from the Ahmedabad airport on July 12, with over 100 people reportedly feared dead. The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carried 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The plane crashed at a doctors' hostel in the Meghani area, a senior police officer said.
The flight was identified as Air India 171, which online flight trackers showed as a 1:10 pm service from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport in London. The plane was being flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. It took off at 1:38 pm and crashed five minutes later, with visuals showing thick black smoke encompassing the air.
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Emergency services rushed to the spot following the crash, including seven fire engines. Multiple visuals accessed by India Today TV showed the magnitude of the horrific crash, with one particular video capturing the moment the aircraft crashed and turned into a ball of fire. Another video showed the nose of the aircraft penetrating deep into the hostel where it crashed.
"Air India, B787 Dreamliner aircraft, Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) airport, had crashed into a residential area (Meghani Nagar), taking off at 1:38 PM, and crashed 5 minutes after takeoff. Directorate of Airworthiness (DAW), Assistant Directors of Airworthiness (ADAW) and one Flight Operations Inspector (FOI) already in Ahmedabad for some other task. They are getting details," the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
As many as three NDRF teams, comprising 90 personnel, have been deployed to the crash site from Gandhinagar. Three additional teams are being moved from Vadodara, the NDRF added.
Confirming the incident, Air India said that it is "giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident", and it will release further information via regular updates on its X handle and on airindia.com.
'Stunned, saddened': PM ModiPrime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "heartbreaking beyond words" and said the tragedy "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," he tweeted. |
