President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. extended his condolences to India following the fiery crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people on board on Thursday, June 12. Only one passenger who was thrown from the plane survived.
“Filipinos are deeply saddened by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad,” he said in his message.
“On behalf of the Filipino people, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India, and especially to the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives,” he added.
The President also sent his thoughts to the families who have lost their loved ones to the crash.
“Our thoughts are with every family, across India and beyond, grieving this profound loss. We stand in full solidarity with the people of India in this moment of sorrow,” he said.
“May the victims be remembered with dignity, and may the ongoing efforts to understand this tragedy bring comfort and clarity to those left behind,” he added.
The Air India passenger plane was bound for London when it crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff Thursday
At least five medical students in a college hostel were killed when the plane hit the building and burst into flames, according to a medical association officer.
“Most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition,” said Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer in the city in northwestern India.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that he met the sole survivor at the hospital. A doctor said he had examined the survivor, whom he identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti told The Associated Press. “But he seems to be out of danger.”
Another medic said Ramesh told him that immediately after the plane took off, it began descending and suddenly split in two, throwing him out before a loud explosion.
Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
Firefighters doused the smoking wreckage of the plane, which would have been fully loaded with fuel shortly after takeoff, and adjacent multistory buildings with water.
Charred bodies lay on the ground and parts of the fuselage were scattered around the site. Indian army teams were assisting civil authorities to clear debris and help treat the injured.
A video on social media showed the jet slowly descending as if it were landing. As soon as it disappeared from view behind rows of houses, a giant fireball filled the sky.
The AP was able to verify the video by matching up the flight path of the plane from the runway with the crash site and the nearby residential area.
At the crash site, the tail cone of the aircraft with damaged stabilizer fins still attached was lodged near the top of one of the buildings.
HEARTBREAKING
In a social media post, Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words” and said “my thoughts are with everyone affected.”
Sambit Patra, a lawmaker from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said Gujarat’s former chief minister, Vijay Rupani, was among the dead.
Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, said at least five students from the medical college were killed on the ground and 50 others were injured. Singh said some of them were in critical condition and many people are “feared buried in the debris.”
Air India confirmed in a statement posted on X that 229 passengers and 12 crew members were killed in the crash. The only survivor was a British national of Indian origin.
The flight bound for London Gatwick Airport had 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian passenger aboard.
“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,” the airline said. (Betheena Unite & AP)
