A day after an Air India passenger aircraft killed 241 persons onboard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the disaster site in Ahmedabad on Friday morning. He also visited those injured in the hospital and held meetings with officials.
Modi visited the aircraft crash site at Meghaninagar where the tail of the ill-fated aircraft logded inside a partially collapsed building stood as a gory reminder of the aviation diaster that claimed more than 241 lives which included that of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. PM Modi also inspected the soot-clad buildings in the vicinity where charred debris of the aircraft lay.
Later PM Modi --- accompanied by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and other ministers both from state and central governments --- visited the civil hospital where he met those injured in the incident. According to the Gujarat government, a total of 50 injured persons are currently being treated at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad and their condition is reported to be stable.
After the visit to the hospital, PM Modi headed back to the airport where he is currently chairing a meeting with government officials. Meanwhile the process of handing over the bodies of the deceased has begun at the civil hospital.
On Friday morning Campbell Wilson, the MD and CEO of Air India also visited the crash site. Air India stated on its social media handle that it has set up “Friends & Relatives Assistance Centres” at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick airports to provide support to the families of the passengers of AI-171. These centres are facilitating the travel of family members to Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board the ill-fated flight AI171 have died and the sole survivor is being treated in the hospital. PM Modi met the lone survivor who is a British national of Indian origin. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed moments after take-off. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national.
The number of dead in the incident could be higher as the aircraft had crash-landed into a residential complex of BJ Medical hospital in Meghaninagar area. On Thursday night, Union Home Minister Amit Shah after visiting the accident site said the exact number of dead in the incident will be revealed by the authorities after the DNA identification process is complete. He said over 1,000 DNA samples will be collected to identify the victims of the crash. This will include samples from the bodies and from the nearest kin of those who have died in the incident.
The aircraft, according to Shah, was carrying 1.25 lakh litres of fuel and it turned into a fire-ball after it crashed on Thursday afternoon. Tata Group said it will provide ₹1 crore to the families of each person who has lost their life in the tragedy and will also cover the medical expenses of those injured. Additionally, the company will also provide support in the building up of the BJ Medical’s hostel which was destroyed in the crash.