Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 12 : Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister, Diya Kumari, has condoled the tragic plane crash, with 242 passengers on board, near the Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat on Thursday.
Expressing sadness over the incident in a post on X, she also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.
"The news of the crash of the Air India passenger plane in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is extremely sad and heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to all the passengers, pilots and crew travelling in the plane. May God grant speedy recovery to the injured," her post read.
https://x.com/KumariDiya/status/1933101738686308697
Earlier today, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and also External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, also condoled the tragedy and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
"The news of many people being killed in the plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is extremely sad. I pray to God to give strength to the bereaved families to bear the unbearable pain and to provide speedy recovery to the injured," his post on X read.
Following the crash, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu are en route to Gujarat to assess the on-ground situation after the plane crashed near the city's airport.
The Air India flight AI171, carrying 242 passengers, crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. The flight en route from Ahmedabad to London.
According to the airline's 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 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, according to an official.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah and took stock of the crash incident. The Civil Aviation Minister informed the Prime Minister that he was rushing to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations on the ground. PM Modi has directed the Minister to ensure all necessary support is extended immediately and asked to be kept regularly updated on the situation, they said.