"Thoughts with passengers, their families": UK PM Keir Starmer after AI plane with 53 British nationals crashes in Gujarat

London [UK], June 12 : UK Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said his thoughts were with the passengers and families of those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick which crashed in Ahmedabad.

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating, he said in a post on X.

"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time" Starmer said.

The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.

I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 12, 2025

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar extended condolences over the Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad today. In a post on X, the EAM said, "Deeply shocked to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. Our prayers are with the passengers and their families."

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area at 1; 39 pm (IST) shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport airport.

As per Air India the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah and took stock of the crash incident.

The Civil Aviation Minister informed the Prime Minister that he is rushing to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations on the ground, said the Civil Aviation Ministry.

The Prime Minister has directed the Minister to ensure all necessary support is extended immediately and asked to be kept regularly updated on the situation, they said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that a team has been rushed to the spot for investigation.

"On 12th Jun, 2025, Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew," said a senior DGCA official.

The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience, the official further added.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.

Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official.

Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement following the Air India crash that an emergency centre had been set up for families seeking information about their loved ones.

"At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families," he said in a post on X.

A spokesperson for Ahmedabad airport has said that all flights have been suspended.

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