242 persons Feared dead as Air India Jet Crashes
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
An Air India Jet with 242 passengers and crew aboard has just crashed in Ahmedabad.
The 787-8 liner crashed into a hugely populated area of Ahmedabad housing a doctor ‘s hostel.
Traffic control said they lost contact with its signals less than a minute after it took off.
The liner had been destined for Gatwick Airport, London, where it was due to arrive by 28.25 British Time.
The flight, A1171, reportedly had 53 Britons aboard
.
It had 232 passengers and 12 crew members, and the passengers hailed from several countries, including India, Greece, Britain and Portugal.
It was unclear why the jet went down in clear weather,but initial suspicion is that it could be due to pilot error.
Authorities quickly shut the airport and diverted air traffic to nearby airports,while emergency workers continued the search and rescue operations.
Air India has a good safety record and Boeing, the builder of the jet, in a statement, said they were aware of the crash.
Indian Prime Minister,Narendra Modi, said the incident had shaken the country.
He said that his heart was with those directly impacted.
The British Prime Minister,Nick Starmer, said the crash was unfortunate and that he was being regularly briefed on the development as events unfold.
British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said the British Government was working to support the families of the British citizens involved in the accident.
An unnamed mother said her medical doctor son who had gone to the doctors’ hostel for lunch, managed to escape by jumping off the storey building not the ground and suffered a fracture.
Gatwick operates around 90 flights to different parts of India per week.
