Ahemdabad air disaster: Amit Shah confirms death of 230 passengers, 12 crew members

Ahmedabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has confirmed that 230 passengers and 12 crew members died in the Ahmedabad-London Air India flight AI 171 crash here on Thursday afternoon.

One passenger, Ramesh Viswashkumar, seated on 11 A, jumped from the emergency exit and survived.

Four MBBS students and one doctor have also died at B J Medical College, according to the president of the Resident Doctors Association, Dr Dhaval Gameti.

Amit Shah Statement

On Thursday night, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the site of the crash at B J Medical College. He also met the lone survivor, Ramesh Viswashkumar, in the hospital.

“This afternoon, Air India flight AI-171 crashed and many passengers are feared dead. The entire nation is grieving and is standing together with the bereaved families... The central government received information within 10 minutes of the accident. I contacted the Gujarat Chief Minister, Home Minister, and the Civil Aviation Minister. The PM also called within no time. All the central and state government departments are carrying out the rescue operation. There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members. There is some good news for one survivor. The death toll will be announced after DNA verification. I met the one survivor... Every department is carrying out the rescue operations in coordination. The plane carried almost 1,25,000 litres of fuel, and due to the high temperature, there was no chance of saving anyone... I visited the crash site. The retrieval of the dead bodies is almost complete. DNA samples of the family members are being collected. The family members in foreign countries are also informed. Around 1000 DNA tests will be done... The DNA samples of the dead bodies have also been collected... The bodies will be handed over after the DNA tests... In the review meeting, every aspect was discussed. The Aviation Minister has instructed that the investigation be carried out rapidly," Shah said in a statement.

Number of passengers

There were 169 Indians, 53 Britishers, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese in the flight.

Former CM of Gujarat

Former chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, also died in the crash. Rupani was seated on 2D.

Jairam Ramesh on X said, “Vijay Rupani was a Member of the Rajya Sabha during 2006-2012. I still recall our not infrequent arguments and clashes in the House as well as the friendly conversations in the now-extinct Central Hall, where we would talk about climate change, urban heat, environment, and Myanmar, where he was born, like the CPM leader Prakash Karat. He was extremely affable, and the aggression in the House would very often be accompanied by a smile.”

Air India helpline numbers

A dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.

On X, Air India posted,” Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident. Air India will release further information via regular updates. Note to Editors: Air India requests media persons not to call the dedicated passenger hotline number."

Air India also organized two relief flights, one each from Delhi and Mumbai, to Ahmedabad for the relatives to reach Ahmedabad, as DNA samples are required to identify the dead.

The families of crew members are also being flown down to Ahmedabad as their samples will be taken.

The bodies have been charred beyond recognition, making it difficult to identify them.

Pilot details

The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.

CCTV footage from ATC towers shows that the plane did not climb as is the normal protocol.

Detailed investigations are going to be carried out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Boeing Company to understand the reasons for the plane crash.