
Air India Plane Crash Press Conference by Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 flying hours, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. Passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national, according to airline officials.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chorao, Chandor, Bandora among five villages to be developed as tourism villages at Rs 2.5cr
Panaji: Under the Centre's Tourism Village Development Scheme 2021, the tourism department has identified five villages in the state to develop as tourism villages. Under this scheme, the tourism department, in consultation with the respective panchayats, will build tourism amenities to harness the tourism potential of the villages at an approximate cost of Rs 2.5 crore. The tourism department intends to build a multi-purpose hall in each of the five villages where local fairs, festivals, live performances, and other events will be held. The five villages are Cotigao, Bandora, Chandor, Chorao, and Sal. In 2023, Cotigao was awarded the best tourism village of India, while in 2024, Bandora received the same award in the wellness category. Initially, in 2023, the villages of Goltim-Navelim on Divar Island, Chorao, Cotigao, Bandora, and Vere-Vaghurme were being considered to be developed as tourist villages. 'The idea of tourist villages fits in with the move to expand tourism away from the coastline, which is already crowded. We want to promote heritage, rural areas, and the hinterland through these villages,' said a GTDC official. To take the initiative forward, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has moved to appoint a consultant who will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the five villages. The appointed consultant will be responsible for the project from the conceptual stage to completion, including securing statutory approvals and govt grants. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo Each village will receive Rs 50 lakh under the scheme, with additional funding considered on a case-by-case basis. Tourism department officials said that whatever infrastructure comes up in the villages will comply with all local building bylaws and zoning regulations. The department plans to construct stalls to promote local handicrafts, tourist information counters, gazebos, and seating arrangements. A GTDC official said the panchayats will be consulted before the conceptual plans are finalised. 'The goal is to showcase rural Goa, traditional art forms, pre-Portuguese heritage, and culture,' the official said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .

The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
ABC: Alcock, Brown, and a flight across Continents
We live in an age where every part of the world is better connected than probably ever before. Flights take people across continents on an everyday basis and there are likely over 500 flights per day on average flying between Northern America and Europe. In such a situation, a flight from New York to London – among the most popular cities in North America and Europe respectively – could cost you anywhere between £250-500. Would you believe it if I told you that there was once a £10,000 prize on offer for flying across the Atlantic Ocean? If you are thinking I must be mad, think again. We've been flying in a powered aeroplane for just a little over 120 years now, meaning the aviation industry was still in its infancy even a century ago. Unachievable turns achievable When the Daily Mail announced a prize of £10,000 for the first non-stop transatlantic flight in under 72 hours in 1913, it seemed too hard a challenge to surmount. World War I, however, brought with it unimaginable progress and developments in aviation. This meant that when the Daily Mail renewed its offer in 1918, the 3,000 km separating North America and Europe didn't seem too far for many aviation pioneers. This, despite the fact that aircraft navigation and weather forecasting were still developing fields, with much to be accomplished. A number of teams were simultaneously attempting to be the first to fly non-stop across the vast Atlantic Ocean. It wasn't just the prize on offer that was motivating them, but also the fact that history was to be made by whoever achieved success. John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown are the ones who've now gone down in history as the first to successfully fly non-stop across the Atlantic. A prisoner's dream Born in Trafford, England in 1892, Alcock was interested in engines and flight from a young age. After working on an engine for pioneer aviator Maurice Ducrocq, Alcock sought a chance to work as a mechanic when delivering the engine to Ducrocq at Brooklands, Surrey. He might have persuaded Ducrocq to take him as a mechanic, but Alcock also used the opportunity to learn to fly, earning his pilot's license by November 1912. Joining the war effort once World War I broke out, Alcock had to be content teaching others to fly in the first two years. When he finally got his chance to fly fighter and bomber missions, he went on to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was captured by Turkish forces in September 1917 and held prisoner for the rest of the war – time during which Alcock was enticed by the challenge of flying across the Atlantic. Brown was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886 and moved to Manchester with his American parents while still a small boy. After beginning his career as an engineering apprentice, Brown gave up his American citizenship to become a British subject to join the war effort following the onset of World War I. Brown too was held as a prisoner of war for over two years after he was shot down over enemy lines. It was then that he studied aircraft navigation, an emerging field, and it lured him towards the dream of flying across the Atlantic. Fate brings them together When he returned to the U.K. in 1917, the Air Ministry didn't allow him to return to active service. This was because of the serious leg injury he had suffered on crashing that had now forced him to be dependent on a walking aid for the rest of his life. Brown, however, was able to persuade the Air Ministry to get him switched to the Ministry of Munitions, where he was involved in the production of aero engines. At the end of World War I, both Alcock and Brown were without jobs. Alcock approached Vickers at Brooklands to enter an aeroplane into the race to fly across the Atlantic non-stop with him as the pilot. Brook, who had little luck finding work as a navigator for a transatlantic attempt, gave up on the idea and tried to focus on getting a job instead. As fate would have it, his interview with Vickers highlighted his interest in aerial navigation and he was soon paired up with Alcock once the two had been introduced to each other. Modified aircraft The Vickers Vimy aircraft chosen for the task was a bombing aircraft with heavy payload capacity designed during the war. While it was produced too late to see action in the war, it was perfect for adapting for long-haul flights as it could carry large amounts of fuel. Once modified to fit these needs and tested at Brooklands, it was dismantled and shipped to Newfoundland, Canada. There, it was rebuilt and put through the tests again ahead of its historic voyage. A 500 yards long makeshift runway – the minimum distance Vimy needed to take off when loaded fully – was prepared by removing walls and fences on a field in St. John's. Boulders were blasted to level and clear the only suitable runway in the easternmost point in North America, allowing for the shortest possible flight given the challenge. A number of teams had attempted and failed before Alcock and Brown began their historic flight on June 14, 1919. They barely just managed to take off themselves, as the heavily laden aircraft narrowly avoided the tops of trees and houses of St. John's. Flight full of incidents The inauspicious start was a sign of things to come as the entire journey was full of incident. They were promised clear weather, but what panned out was quite the opposite. Thick clouds and fog made both flying and navigating rather difficult. With the featureless oceans offering no landmarks, Brown had to make observations of stars, sun, and the ocean below – akin to navigation techniques used on ships. This task, however, was made more difficult by clouds above and below, enabling only a few observations through cloud gaps. Flying too, was no easy task. Alcock flew into a bank of clouds and they lost their sense of direction on an occasion, spiralling downwards when they fell out of the sky. Alcock used all his flying experience and regained control just 50 feet above the waves. Even once they had sighted land the following day, Brown wasn't sure where exactly they were. The masts of the Marconi wireless station, however, helped him figure out that they were near Clifden in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. After flying for 16 hours and 28 minutes in the air, Alcock chose a smooth-looking green field to land their aircraft on June 15. As the Vimy touched down, the duo soon realised that the smooth field was in fact a bog and the nose of their craft quickly sank – probably the only way their incident-filled journey could have come to an end. Celebrated as heroes Alcock and Brown not only picked up the £10,000 prize by the Daily Mail, but became instant celebrities. They were knighted in no time, drew huge crowds wherever they went, and attended dinners that were held in their honour. Alas, it didn't last long for Alcock, who tragically died when his aircraft crashed just six months later, aged 27. Brown got married, worked for Vickers and then Metropolitan-Vickers, and died aged 62 at his home in Swansea, Wales. By then, flights between North America and Europe had become highly reliable and passenger flights had become operational.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Portuguese Kochi Heritage Walk held
A total of 22 heritage enthusiasts participated in the 'Portuguese Kochi Heritage Walk with Bony Thomas', jointly organised by the Cochin Heritage Zone Conservation Society, Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), and the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED). The heritage walk, which began at 8:30 a.m. and concluded at 1:30 p.m., covered a wide range of heritage sites and buildings across West Kochi. They included the Ro-Ro jetty at Kamalakadavu, the Chinese fishing nets, the Kochi Corporation's Fort Kochi regional office, huge trees in Fort Kochi heritage zone, Koder House, Old Harbour Hotel, Tower House, Vasco da Gama Square, the plaque commemorating the Portuguese President's visit to Kochi, the anchor of Lord Willingdon, a dredger, the Great Fire of Cochin Memorial, the cannon at Fort Kochi beach, Bastion Bungalow, St. Francis Church, Parade Ground, Cochin Club, David Hall, Malabar House, Bernard Bungalow, Spencer Home, St. John De Britto School, Bishop's House, Indo-Portuguese Museum, CSI Bungalow, St. Francis School, Santa Cruz School, Anti-War Installation, Santa Cruz Basilica, Rampart Road, Burgher Street, Vasco Home, and Fort Kochi. The walk also covered the Post Office, Delta Study School, Jail of the Freedom Struggle, RDO Bungalow, Cabral Yard, Albuquerque Jetty, Calvathy Masjid, Calvathy Bridge, Mehboob Memorial Orchestra, Aspinwall House, Pierce Leslie Godown, Brunton Boatyard, Fort Vypin, and Our Lady of Hope Church, the organisers said.