New Delhi [India], June 14 : Yoga Guru, President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Chidanand Saraswati, on Saturday, offered condolences to the bereaved families of those deceased and injured in the AI-171 plane crash incident, and said that the entire nation stands with them.
Speaking to ANI, the spiritual leader said, "I express my sympathy and condolences for the plane crash incident -- the whole nation stands with the affected families. In times of war, yoga is the way to keep the mind at peace. So many incidents are happening worldwide, and my only message is: to restore peace, yoga is the way."
Meanwhile, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Saturday said that the Air India Flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, leaving 241 people dead, has shaken the entire nation.
Addressing a press briefing on Saturday, Naidu said, "The last two days have been very difficult, especially for the ministry and everyone else. The incident in Ahmedabad has shaken the entire nation. My deepest condolences to the family members who have lost their loved ones in the incident. I have also personally lost my father to a road accident, so to a certain extent, I can understand the pain and anguish the family members are feeling."
"It was a moment of shock right after we got to know about the incident, but even in that disbelief, I rushed to the site to oversee what needed to be done and what support was needed. Once we rushed to the site, the government of Gujarat had already been working on the ground trying to rescue," he added.
The Minister said that the recovery of the Black Box from the debris was critical to the investigative process.
Earlier, the government constituted a high-level multidisciplinary committee for examining the causes leading to the crash of Air India Flight AI-171.
The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future," an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read.
Earlier in the day, officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) arrived in Ahmedabad, where the London-bound Air India flight crashed.
The AAIB, a division under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is responsible for probing aircraft accidents in India and has launched a formal investigation into the matter.