An Air India plane bound for London crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. A large number of casualties are feared in this accident.
This Air India plane took off at 1:39 pm, carrying 242 people including two pilots led by Captain Sumit Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar and ten cabin crew members. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the plane gave a “mayday” call soon after takeoff but failed to respond to further communication from air traffic control. It crashed near Meghnainagar, outside the perimeter of the airport, where large clouds of black smoke were seen rising from the spot.
Railways is running special Vande Bharat trains
Indian Railways has announced to run special Vande Bharat trains to evacuate the passengers stranded in Gujarat. A special Vande Bharat train will run from Ahmedabad to Delhi at 23:30. At the same time, a special Vande Bharat train will run from Ahmedabad to Mumbai at 12 midnight. These special Vande Bharat trains will help in evacuating the people stranded in Ahmedabad.
The fuel was fully filled
The plane was reportedly on a long-haul international trip and was fully fueled. This led to an explosion upon crash and the fire grew in intensity thereafter. Several fire engines, ambulances and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were immediately deployed at the spot. As per the latest update, the rescue operation is still underway and there is no official confirmation on the number of casualties. Prime Minister Modi has directed Union Ministers Amit Shah and Ram Mohan Naidu to visit the spot and monitor the relief measures. Air India has activated an emergency centre and deployed teams to assist the families of those on board.
