New Delhi [India], June 13 : Congress on Friday extended its deepest condolences to all families bereaved and devastatingly affected by the crash of AI-171 on June 12 that left 241 people dead.
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1933358447174824381
In a post on X, Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday, "The Indian National Congress extends its deepest condolences to all the families bereaved and so devastatingly affected by the crash of AI-171 yesterday. We had hoped and prayed while awaiting confirmation of fatalities. The confirmation is grim news and the INC joins the nation in our collective anguish and grief over this most unfortunate and shocking tragedy," the post read.
On June 12, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed their grief following the plane crash.
Sonia Gandhi, in a statement, said, "I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. My thoughts are with the families of the passengers and the crew. The visuals are most heart-wrenching. The entire country is overtaken by grief and is praying."
Rahul Gandhi urged Congress workers to help with rescue and relief efforts.
Rahul Gandhi said, "The Ahmedabad Air India crash is heartbreaking. The pain and anxiety the families of the passengers and crew must be feeling is unimaginable. My thoughts are with each one of them in this incredibly difficult moment. Urgent rescue and relief efforts by the administration are critical - every life matters, every second counts. Congress workers must do everything they can to help on the ground."
The AI-171 flight that was operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025 carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portugese nationals and one Canadian national, crashed near the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport into a resident doctor's hospital shortly after take-off.
Miraculously, one person has survived the deadly crash, the airline authorities said, adding that the survivor was a British national of Indian origin.
A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Thursday.
The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.