"June 12 sad day for country, sending prayers to bereaved families": Pawan Khera on Ahmedabad plane crash

New Delhi [India], June 13 (ANI): A day after the Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London, crashed and claimed the lives of 241 people, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that June 12 was a 'sad day' for the country.
The Congress leader offered prayers and strength to the bereaved families of the passengers onboard the plane.
Speaking to ANI, Pawan Khera said, "It was a very sad day in our lives. From the visuals that we are watching on television, things don't look very good. We can only hope. We offer prayers to all the passengers and their family members. I think it is a sad day for the country."
The flight, which was operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025, carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.
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.
Miraculously, one person has survived the deadly crash, the airline authorities said, adding that the survivor was a British national of Indian origin.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ahmedabad today in the wake of the flight crash that claimed the lives of 241 people, including 12 crew members, onboard.
On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and obtained detailed information regarding 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 1.25 lakh 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 Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London, crashed into a resident doctors' hostel building shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
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 Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India.
"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.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC.
Immediately after departing Runway 23, the aircraft crashed outside the airport perimeter, and heavy black smoke began emanating from the accident site.
The Tata Group has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of each person who lost their lives in the crash. (ANI)