Unni Mukundan recalls growing up near Ahmedabad plane crash site: ‘My school friends and I are in shock'
Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan spent the majority of his life in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, before he shifted to Thrissur for studies and Kerala for work in the film industry. After the Air India aeroplane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, the actor spoke to Manorama Online and recollected growing up near where it all happened. (Also Read: Vir Das defends Air India after plane crash in Ahmedabad: 'They are the best crew in the sky')
Mukundan stated in the interview that from childhood till 24 years of age, he spent his life in Maninagar, Ahmedabad. It's a few kilometres away from where the Air India flight crashed with 242 passengers on board.
Recalling that the crash site is close to where he played as a child, he said, 'I have come to know the plane crash took place in Meghaninagar, ten kilometres away from Maninagar in Ahmedabad. Maninagar is where I lived for 24 years. Like Kerala, Gujarat is my favourite state. I spent my childhood and adolescence there. This news is causing immense grief in my heart. My school friends and I are in shock.'
He also expressed grief on social media, writing, 'Heartbroken by the news of the Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crash. My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones. I can only imagine their grief, and I pray they find strength in their darkest of times. May every soul lost find their peace, and may those left behind feel the warmth of support and love around them.'
On Thursday, an Air India aircraft flying from Ahmedabad to London crashed a few seconds after takeoff. It had 242 passengers on board, out of which only one survived. 'The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. The survivor is a British national of Indian origin,' wrote Air India in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). They also announced ₹1 crore compensation each for the families of the dead passengers.
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