In what is being called one of India’s worst aviation disasters in history, Air India Flight AI171 headed from Ahmedabad to London and carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members crashed yesterday. The flight crashed in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad just five minutes after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight that was heading for London Gatwick claimed the lives of an estimated 241 people on board and 28 (final number of people who tragically lost their lives is awaited) on the ground, injuring over 60 others as debris and flames engulfed a nearby medical college hostel.
Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens, including London-based wellness entrepreneurs Jamie Ray Meek and his partner Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek. Just moments before boarding, they recorded a heartbreaking video that has gone viral where they said ‘Goodbye India.’ The video was recorded at the airport and was intended to celebrate the end of their ten-day trip.
Surveillance data has revealed that Flight AI171 climbed to about 625 feet before it suddenly nosedived into the Civil Hospital campus and fatally crashed. Seven fire engines were immediately dispatched and multiple National Disaster Response Force teams were mobilised. Airport operations were halted and a crisis cell was activated. The only survivor, 40-year-old British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously escaped with injuries and recounted how he emerged from the wreckage, though his brother, who was also on board, did not survive.
Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, who was traveling privately, was confirmed to have died on the flight too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu all expressed their condolences and called for the quick retrieval and analysis of the black boxes. Investigators are currently looking into the flight data and cockpit voice recorders to figure out what went wrong. An engine failure, a loss of cabin pressure, or a control malfunction are believed to be the possible causes.
ALSO READ: Details of the only Canadian passenger on Air India Plane surface as death toll reaches 269
To stay updated with the latest Bollywood news, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, like us on Facebook and visit Masala.com.
