A flight has crashed in India
The Mumbai, India – First crash of an Air India flight in the Mayday “Mayday” event: A multi-million-plus-body tragedy
MUMBAI, India — An Air India flight with 242 passengers and 12 crew bound for London crashed shortly after departure in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad today. Many people were killed, but the Indian Health Minister gave no further information.
Visuals on local television channels showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with a population of more than 5 million.
The Civil Aviation Minister in India is Ram Mohan. Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site.
The Aviation Safety Network claims that this is the first crash of a new plane. The aircraft made a “Mayday” call, which signaled an emergency before it crashed. A Boeing spokesman told The Associated Press that it was aware of the crash reports and was trying to gather more information. Boeing says that more than 1,000 are operating internationally thanks to the new 7 winged plane.
Footage posted by the outlet Press Trust of India showed the plane sinking over a residential quarter and then the sound of a blast, and a ball of fire. Medics rushing casualty on stretchers was shared by The Press Trust. The plane crashed just five minutes after taking off, according to Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, who spoke to The Associated Press.
Another doctor at the trauma center where casualties were being treated said so far, 90 people had been bought in. She asked for anonymity because she wasn’t allowed to speak to the media. At least 30 bodies had been recovered from a building at the site of the plane crash.
Casualties may also include people impacted after the plane, or parts of the plane, smashed into the cafeteria of a hostel for male students of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, according to a hospital official who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak to the media. She said the hospital was taking in casualties presently.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the group that runs Air India, said in the statement that the plane was involved in a tragic incident. He said that the conglomerate is providing care and support to those affected. The airport where the flight departed from has now suspended operations.
The New York Times reported that Boeing was being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration for its use of improper fastenings on portions of the 787 Dreamliner and the possible breaking of sections after thousands of trips. At the time, Boeing told the Times that they had “determined that this is not an immediate safety of flight issue.”
The company’s reputation has been battered, after two deadly accidents, one of which was the crash of the MAX 8 plane in Ethiopia in which all 149 on board were killed.
