On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his heartfelt condolences at the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, terming the incident heartbreaking beyond words. The jet, travelling from Ahmedabad to the Gatwick Airport in London, crashed in a residential area in Meghaninagar soon after the flight took off on Thursday afternoon.
In response to the tragedy, PM Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “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 doomed flight had onboard a total of 242 people, comprising passengers and aircraft crew members. In an official statement, Air India said that the nationalities of the passengers were 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The impact of the crash has caused massive destruction in the area where the plane crashed, leading to a call to provide urgent rescue and relief services.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said a Mayday distress signal, a universal aviation emergency signal, was made by the pilots soon after the aircraft had departed. The call was of a life-threatening emergency, and communications were lost shortly before the aircraft crashed.
Fire services, NDRF personnel, and local police teams were among the emergency response services that were hurried to the crash site. Rescue efforts are still going on, and the government is trying to help those who survived and to retrieve the bodies of those who died tragically.
The impact of the crash has been felt throughout the nation and even beyond as the aviation fraternity and the leaders keep a close watch on the proceedings. The DGCA has launched an investigation to find out the cause of the crash.
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