Modi At Plane Crash Site: Heartbreaking, beyond words says PM
- Says scene of devastation saddening
- Meets lone survivor at hospital
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday and visited the site of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed 241 people a day earlier, one of the worst air disasters in recent times.
The Prime Minister arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport and drove straight to the crash site in the Meghaninagar area, officials said. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Modi visited the C7 ward of the hospital, where 25 injured people are undergoing treatment. He also met the lone survivor of the crash - Indian-origin British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Modi, who served as Gujarat Chief Minister for 12 years, earlier said he was "stunned" by the tragedy. "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected," he said on X on Thursday.
The crash took place seconds after AI 171 took off for London Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Officials said the flight lost altitude soon after taking off at around 1.30pm, before crashing into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Meghaninagar area and going up in flames, sending plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.
