Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad on Friday morning, a day after the heartbreaking Air India plane crash that killed 241 people. The aircraft, flight AI-171 bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The Prime Minister first visited the crash site, where the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had crashed into a hostel building of B.J. Medical College. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union MoS Murlidhar Mohol, and State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
Later, PM Modi went to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad to meet with the injured and the lone survivor — Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian origin. He also met the doctors treating the injured and inquired about their condition.
The crash took place just after the plane took off from runway 23 at 1:39 PM IST on Thursday. According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the plane had sent a Mayday call, but communication was lost soon after. Within minutes, it went down outside the airport perimeter and burst into flames, with thick black smoke rising from the crash site.
Among the 242 people on board were:
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169 Indian nationals
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53 British nationals
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7 Portuguese nationals
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1 Canadian national
Tragically, only one person survived.
The aircraft was being flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a highly experienced pilot with over 8,200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited the crash site earlier, said that due to the extreme heat from the 125,000 litres of jet fuel burning, there was “no chance of survival” for most people on board. He added that the final death toll will be confirmed after DNA testing, with around 1,000 samples already collected.
A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, following global protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also sending a team of experts to assist in the investigation, as per international cooperation agreements.
Meanwhile, the Tata Group, which owns Air India, has announced:
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₹1 crore compensation for families of each person who lost their life.
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Dedicated helpline numbers for victims’ families:
Toll-Free India: 1800 5691 444 and International: +91 8062779200
This tragedy has deeply shaken the nation, and investigations are ongoing to determine what caused such a devastating crash, and how such incidents can be prevented in the future.
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