Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 12 : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SCP) Chief Sharad Pawar has expressed grief over the Air India plane crash incident in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
In a post on X, Pawar said that it is also sad to hear that there has been a huge loss of life in the accident.
"The incident of the crash of an Air India passenger plane in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is heartbreaking. It is also very sad to hear that there has been a huge loss of life in this accident. I pray that the agencies treating the injured passengers and those working at the scene of the accident will be strengthened and that the injured will recover soon," the NCP-SCP chief said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, to take stock of the plane crash incident involving an Air India flight bound for London, according to sources.
The Civil Aviation Minister informed the Prime Minister that he is rushing to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations on the ground, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
The Prime Minister has directed the Minister to ensure all necessary support is extended immediately and asked to be kept regularly updated on the situation, they said.
The Air India's Ahmedabad-London flight carrying 242 passengers crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.
Confirming the incident, Air India said that Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in the incident.
An Air India plane from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that a team has been rushed to the spot for investigation.
"On 12th Jun, 2025, Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew," said a senior DGCA official.
The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience, the official further added.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. 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, said the official.