Ahmedabad [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad on Friday and assessed the ground situation, a day after the AI171 flight bound for London Gatwick went down shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport.
The Prime Minister arrived in the city this morning and went to the location where the Boeing 7878 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed.
Officials briefed him on the situation.
During his trip, Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and other officials.
PM Modi then went to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to meet with those hurt in the accident.
Upon his landing in the city today, Prime Minister Modi was greeted by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and CR Paatil.
The crashed aircraft had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. Miraculously, only one person survived the crash, a British national of Indian origin, airline authorities said.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who has 1,100 flying hours, piloted the aircraft.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the plane took off from Ahmedabad on runway 23 at 1339 IST (0809 UTC). It transmitted a Mayday call to air traffic control (ATC), but the plane did not respond to subsequent ATC calls.
Immediately after leaving Runway 23, the aircraft flew beyond the airport perimeter and crashed. An official reported that thick black smoke was rising from the crash site.
Yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and gathered comprehensive information on the situation.
Shah stated that there was no possibility of rescuing anybody in the Londonbound Air India plane crash due to the extreme heat generated by the burning of approximately 125,000 liters of fuel aboard the aircraft.
While expressing condolences to the families of those killed, Shah stated that the precise number of fatalities would only be known following DNA testing. Shah disclosed that around 1000 DNA tests have been performed so far.
The aircraft had nearly 125,000 liters of fuel, and there was no possibility of rescuing anyone due to the high temperature... I visited the accident site, the Home Minister told reporters.
We received the information within 10 minutes of the event. After that, I notified the Prime Minister, the Gujrat Home Minister, the Home Department Control Room, the Civil Aviation Department, and the Civil Aviation Minister. The Prime Minister quickly called back, and the union and state government personnel worked together to coordinate relief and rescue efforts, according to him.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a branch of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is responsible for investigating aircraft accidents in India.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal inquiry into the fatal crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 241 people on board, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced on Thursday.
Following the tragic event in Ahmedabad, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal inquiry in accordance with international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Naidu said on X.
He also revealed that the Indian government would establish a high-level committee of specialists in various subjects to investigate the crash event and come up with methods to improve aviation safety by preventing similar incidents in the future.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a congressional mandated federal agency that investigates civil aviation disasters in the United States, is preparing to send a team of investigators to India to help with the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash investigation.
The Tata group-owned airline has established a specific passenger hotline, 1800 5691 444, to offer more information. International callers can reach +91 8062779200.
The Tata Group has announced a payment of Rs 1 crore for the families of each individual who perished in the accident.
