Following the tragic Air India AI171 plane crash near Ahmedabad on Thursday, the UK High Commissioner to India met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss the ongoing investigation and offer assistance. The meeting underscores the close collaboration between the two nations as they grapple with the aftermath of the devastating incident.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crash claimed the lives of 241 people, including 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. The aircraft crashed into a residential area in the Meghani area of the city, sparking a massive fire.
The UK's High Commissioner expressed condolences on behalf of the British government and people, emphasizing their commitment to supporting the investigation and providing consular assistance to the affected families. The High Commission is actively coordinating with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts and provide support. Additional support staff have been mobilized to liaise with Indian officials and offer help to survivors and their families.
Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site Friday morning to review the situation and met with Vishwas Ramesh, the lone survivor of the crash, at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital. Modi also held a review meeting with top officials at the airport as investigators continue to piece together what went wrong in one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation in line with global protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. A team from the US and the UK is being deployed to India to support the investigation. Investigators are scrutinizing black box data and cockpit voice recordings to determine the cause of the crash. Recovery operations continue at full pace at the crash site.
This incident evokes memories of the Air India Flight 182 bombing in 1985, a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of aviation tragedies. Air India Flight 182 was a passenger flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Mumbai route that disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean on June 23, 1985, due to a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists. All 329 people on board, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 22 Indian citizens, were killed. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 remains the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history.
As investigations into the Air India AI171 crash continue, the focus remains on providing support to the affected families and uncovering the cause of the tragedy to prevent similar incidents in the future. The collaboration between the UK and India highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing aviation disasters and ensuring the safety of air travel.
