Here’s what happened
An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed in the city of Ahmedabad, in India’s western province of Gujarat, shortly after takeoff; 241 of the 242 people on the flight died, with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, the
sole survivor.
The plane crashed into a medical college, reportedly killing an unknown number of medical students who were in the college’s hostel.
India’s aviation minister said a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there is “no indication” right now that there are any safety issues with Boeing’s 787-8 Dreamliner – the aircraft that crashed.
Special prayers offered at Hindu temples in London
About 100 people have gathered at a massive ornate temple in the Neasden area of the British capital, where much of the community has ties to the state of Gujarat, where the Air India flight crashed.
Yogvivekdas Swami said people were praying for all those affected.
“We will offer prayers for the unfortunate people who have passed away, the passengers, the crew, the pilots,” he said.
“Also for all their family members, that they may find strength and courage at this very difficult and challenging time.”
British couple post story on social media before boarding flight
A British couple, reportedly on the
Air India flight that crashed, filmed a video of themselves at the airport before boarding.
Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre, laughed and joked on their Instagram story as they discussed a “10-hour flight back to England”.
In an earlier post, they shared their “mind-blowing” trip to India and their intention to create a vlog about it.
British MP raises safety questions with Air India, UK aviation agency
Shivani Raja, a British parliament member who represents a district in Leicester, in the East Midlands, says she raised questions about the safety of the Air India flight.
“This flight route is very popular amongst the British Gujarati community, and many have been left understandably shaken by today’s horrific events,” Raja said in a statement shared on X.
“My office remains open to support local residents who have been impacted.”
As we’ve been reporting, officials say 53 passengers on board the Air India flight that crashed were British nationals.
How many people were killed on the ground in Ahmedabad?
That remains unclear.
“We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told the Reuters news agency.
As we reported earlier, an official with the Federation of All India Medical Association said at least five students were killed when part of the plane fell on top of the dining area of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad.
Nearly 50 others were also injured, the official said.
We’ll bring you more updates when we can.
US transportation chief says no immediate safety concerns with Boeing aircraft
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there is “no indication” right now that there are any safety issues with Boeing’s 787-8 Dreamliner – the aircraft that crashed in India.
“We have no preliminary information,” Duffy told reporters during a news conference.
“We don’t have that information yet. It’s very new. Our teams are just going to deploy [to India] right now,” he said.
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