Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union MoS Murlidhar Mohol and State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi accompanied PM Modi during his visit to meet the injured.
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the lone survivor of the Ahmedabad plane crash. The survivor has been identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, who was seated in 11A. He was visiting family in Gujarat and returning home to London with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, whose whereabouts remain unknown. PM Modi met Vishwash Kumar Ramesh at Civil Hospital, Asarwa. The survivor has sustained injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union MoS Murlidhar Mohol and State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi accompanied PM Modi during his visit to meet the injured.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday met with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and obtained detailed information about the entire incident. Shah said that there was no chance of saving anyone in the London-bound Air India plane crash because of the high temperature caused by the burning of almost 125,000 litres of fuel in the aircraft.
Expressing condolences to family members of those killed, Shah said the exact number of deaths will be officially released only after DNA tests. Shah revealed that approximately 1000 DNA tests have been conducted so far. "The plane carried almost 125,000 litres of fuel, and due to the high temperature, there was no chance of saving anyone... "I visited the crash site," the Home Minister told the media.
"In just 10 minutes of the incident, we got the information. After that, I informed the Prime Minister, the Gujarat Home Minister, the Control Room of the Home Department, the Civil Aviation Department and the Civil Aviation Minister. The Prime Minister instantly called back, and the personnel from the Union and state governments jumped in jointly for the relief and rescue operations," he added.
Investigation underway
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India. 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.
"Following the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)," Naidu posted on X. He informed that the Indian government was also constituting a high-level committee of people with expertise in multiple disciplines to examine the crash incident and devise ways to strengthen aviation safety by preventing such incidents in the future.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency authorised by Congress to investigate civil aviation accidents in the United States (US), is gearing up to send a team of investigators to India to assist with probing the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash.
The Tata group-owned airline has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444, to provide more information. Those calling from outside India can call +91 8062779200. The Tata Group has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of each person who lost their lives in the crash.
Passenger and crew details confirmed
Air India confirmed that there were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board the ill-fated flight.
Breakdown of nationalities:
169 Indian nationals
53 British nationals
7 Portuguese nationals
1 Canadian national
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with 8,200 flight hours, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 flight hours.
Soon after takeoff from Runway 23, the cockpit issued a “Mayday” distress call to the Air Traffic Control (ATC), but no further communication followed. The aircraft lost altitude and crashed within minutes of departure.
(With inputs from ANI)