New Delhi: The Indian Army on Thursday deployed around 130 personnel to support the ongoing rescue and relief operations after the London-Bound Air India crashed soon after the takeoff from Ahmedabad. The army said that its teams are assisting the efforts of civil administration under humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) mandate.
“The reaction includes engineering teams with JCB to clean the debris, medical teams with doctors and paramedics, Quick Action Team (KTS), extinguishing and fir-fighting units with extinguishers and water boofers, as well as provost staff for site safety and crowd management,” a statement said. The military hospital is placed on alert, it was added.
“Teams are working with local authorities in close coordination with local authorities,” an official said.
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The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also deployed about 150 personnel to support rescue and relief operation after the accident. News agency ANI Quoted as a CRPF statement“Soldiers from 100 Battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF group personnel in Gandhinagar have been mobilized to assist on-round efforts at the accident site.”
A top officer of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was the first Told theprint Most of the 242 people aboard the flight are expected to be dead.
The aircraft, AI171, was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with the registration VT-Anb and serial number 36279.
According to Flightradar24, which tracks live flight data globally, the aircraft lost the signal at 10:08 pm (GMT+1) at an altitude of just 625 feet after a minute of the take-off from Ahmedabad International Airport. The flight was scheduled to land at London Gatvik Airport at 6:25 pm (GMT+1).
In January 2022, the Tata Group, who captured Air India, has its president N. Chandrasekaran faced X to confirm the incident through a statement. “At this time, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to help the emergency response teams on the site and provide all the necessary support and care to those effects,” he said.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing also released a statement on Thursday, stating that it is in touch with Air India and “ready to support them”. The company said, “Our views are impressed by passengers, crew, first respondents and all.”
According to the Boeing website, 787–8 Dreamliner can carry up to 248 passengers, a limit of 60 meters and more than 13,500 km. The aircraft operates over 425 non-stop global routes, many of which were never served before its induction.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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