Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu visits Air India Plane Crash site, assesses situation
Ahemdabad (Gujarat) [India], June 12 (ANI): Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu arrived at the site of the Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, including 12 crew members, crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
'I am shaken by the tragic and horrific incident. I am still in a state of shock. The PM called me and asked me to be here at the site. At this time, I can only think of the passengers and their families. Many agencies have been engaged in rescue operations. I don't want to say anything about the numbers yet. We are extending all help. The Union Home Minister is also coming to the site here. Very sad to know that (BJP leader) Vijay Rupani was also there, and so were other nationals. We are going to do a fair and thorough investigation. We will go to the depths of why this incident happened,' the Minister said.
'We are going to do a fair & thorough investigation, and probe why this incident happened. We still have to find out the numbers,' he added.
According to an Air India statement, the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating as Flight AI-171, departed from Ahmedabad at 1:38 pm IST with 242 people on board, including crew.
'The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, carried 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information,' the airline said in a statement.
The official said the aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an LTC with 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has mobilised three teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising 90 personnel, from Gandhinagar to the crash site to aid rescue operations.
According to senior police officials, the aircraft crashed into a doctor's hostel located just outside the airport perimeter. 'After the takeoff, the plane crashed here and after a preliminary enquiry, we learned that the... plane crashed into a building, a doctors' hostel,' Jaipal Singh Rathore, Joint Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, told reporters.
The Ahmedabad City Police has released an emergency helpline number for assistance and information about the crash. 'Ahmedabad City Police Emergency Number for Police Emergency Services and necessary information related to the Ahmedabad Plane Crash 07925620359,' Ahmedabad Police stated in a post on X.(ANI)
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