PM Modi visits Air India plane crash site; Meets injured, kin of deceased
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the site of Thursday's Air India plane crash and held a meeting with Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and senior bureaucrats to take stock of the situation.Modi also visited the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where he met with the only survivor from the 242 passengers and crew on board the London-bound flight and people who were injured on ground when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed onto the BJ Medical College hostel building. British high commissioner to India Lindy Cameron also called on the Prime Minister in Ahmedabad during the day.Modi arrived in Ahmedabad and visited the crash site in the morning. After visiting the hospital, he met the wife of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani , who was on the plane that crashed."We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heart-breaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come. Om Shanti," he posted on social media platform X.Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson was among the people who attended Modi's meeting with the CM. Wilson was directed to stay in touch with the Prime Minister's Office with all relevant updates.Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has mounted a major effort to identify the charred bodies of the passengers through DNA testing before handing them over to their relatives. So far eight bodies have been handed over while the DNA test results are expected in the next 48 hours. Hospital sources told ET that 215 DNA samples had been collected from the relatives as of Friday evening and more were being done.The bodies of Air India's cockpit and cabin crew members were identified from their uniforms. However, DNA testing is still being done for confirmation.Gujarat principal secretary for health, Dhananjay Trivedie, said 50 people who were injured when plane crashed on the medical college hostel in a densely populated area were being treated at Civil Hospital. Their condition is stable, he said.
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