New Delhi, June 13 Former Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday expressed profound grief over the Air India Flight AI-171 crash near Ahmedabad, calling it a "heart-wrenching national tragedy" that has shaken the entire world.
Speaking to IANS, Choubey said, "It’s been nearly 24 hours, yet it still feels as if it just happened. The entire nation is engulfed in mourning. This tragic news has deeply disturbed the heart."
Choubey highlighted the devastating human cost of the crash, which claimed 241 lives, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. “This is the first such incident of this magnitude. It has shaken not only the affected families but the entire world,” he said.
Remembering Rupani with visible emotion, Choubey said, “We were friends since his days in the Vidyarthi Parishad. I know his entire family personally. I had even attended his daughter’s wedding in London. He was travelling to London to meet her. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
The former Union minister praised the swift response from the highest levels of government, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had already reached the crash site to oversee rescue and relief operations. “This tragedy is personal. It's a moment of national mourning, and for me, it’s also the loss of an old friend,” Choubey added, urging the nation to come together in support of the families affected.
Flight AI-171, en route to London, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. Rescue operations are ongoing, with multiple agencies working around the clock to recover bodies and provide assistance to grieving families. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Notably, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also issued a formal directive mandating enhanced safety inspections on Air India’s fleet of Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft. Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekharan, in a letter to his employees on Friday, called June 12 "One of the darkest days in the group's history".
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