Srinagar, Jun 12: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday expressed his grief at the Ahmedabad plane crash and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.
Dr Farooq told reporters, “I think this is the first time in many, many years that such a tragedy has taken place in our country. I heard there was a power failure when the plane was gaining height. It struck a building, and God knows how many people inside the building survived. This is very unfortunate.”
The NC chief called for a thorough investigation and urged the authorities to ensure such incidents do not happen again. “There should be a thorough investigation. I think these are new planes, and they should see what really happened. I have not heard that these planes have faced any such difficulties,” he said.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti expressed sorrow and demanded a proper investigation into Thursday’s plane crash which took place near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport.
“I want to express my sorrow over the incident in Ahmedabad, I hope the government will conduct a proper investigation and whoever is responsible for this, hope the responsibility will be fixed,” Mufti told reporters here.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Tarun Chugh expressed deep sorrow over the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, calling it one of the darkest moments in recent memory. He extended heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this devastating incident.
Chugh, in a statement, said, “It is an unspeakable tragedy. The entire nation mourns the loss of so many precious lives. We stand in solidarity with the grieving families during this painful time.”
He appreciated the swift response of emergency personnel, disaster relief forces, and medical teams who rushed to the site under extreme conditions.
The BJP leader prayed for strength and peace to the families affected and urged the authorities to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the accident. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership ensures that every possible support and assistance will reach the victims’ families,” Chugh added.
The Air India flight AI 171, carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese crashed near the Ahmedabad airport earlier on Thursday.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which manufactures the 787 Dreamliner said, “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an LTC with 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience, the official said.
As per Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Runway 23 at 1339 IST (0809 UTC). It gave a mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.
