Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 12 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasised that the Centre and State governments have taken the Air India plane crash incident "very seriously", and the Maharashtra government has also prepared a helpdesk as many passengers from the state were on board.
Speaking to the media, Shinde condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
"Both central and state governments have taken this matter very seriously. Since many passengers from Maharashtra were also on board, the Maharashtra government has prepared a help desk so that their relatives can get updates. The Prime Minister has expressed condolences and is reaching the spot along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. I express my condolences to those who lost their lives," Eknath Shinde said.
The Air India plane from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.
According to Air India, "Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, was carrying 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 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, the official said.
As per Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Runway 23 at 1339 IST (0809 UTC). It gave a mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.
"Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site," the official added.