Washington, DC [US], June 13 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has described the tragic Air India plane crash in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad as “terrible and horrific,” offering condolences and support to India during a public address on Thursday. Calling it “one of the worst in aviation history,” Trump expressed confidence in India’s resilience while stating that the United States stands ready to assist.
Speaking during a Bill Signing Ceremony, Trump said, “The plane crash was terrible. I’ve already told them, anything that we can do — it’s a big country, strong country, they will handle it, I’m sure — but, I let them know that anything we can do, we will be over there immediately. But it was a horrific crash.”
Commenting on the possible cause of the crash, Trump added, “It looks like most are gone, maybe have a couple of survivors that we just heard of. That was a horrible crash. No one has any idea what it might be. I gave them a couple of pointers. I said, maybe you will look at this. We saw the plane, it looked like it was flying pretty well. It didn’t look like there was an explosion. It just looked like the engines had maybe lost power.”
The incident occurred shortly after Air India flight AI171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM IST. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, was carrying 242 individuals, including 12 crew members. The aircraft crashed into a doctors’ hostel located near the airport perimeter.
According to Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathore, the plane struck the hostel building shortly after takeoff. “After the takeoff, the plane crashed here and after a preliminary enquiry, we got to know that the plane crashed into a building, which is a doctors’ hostel,” he stated.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that one passenger seated in 11A survived the crash and is receiving medical treatment. “The police found one survivor… He has been in the hospital and is under treatment. Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area,” Malik told ANI.
Air India confirmed the crash and provided the nationality breakdown of those on board: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444, to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,” the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with 8,200 hours of flying experience, and assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the plane made a Mayday call shortly after departure but ceased communication thereafter. Witnesses reported heavy black smoke emanating from the site following the crash.
In response, the Gujarat government deployed three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, totaling 90 personnel, to support ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. The Ahmedabad City Police also released an emergency helpline number — 07925620359 — for assistance and information related to the crash.
As investigations continue, global condolences have poured in for the victims and their families, with President Trump’s remarks underscoring the international scope of the tragedy. (ANI)
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