‘Shocked and deeply saddened’: Gautam Adani reacts to Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad

Industrialist Gautam Adani expressed grief over the crash of Air India Flight 171 near Ahmedabad, which was carrying 242 passengers on board.

In his post on X, he said, “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171. Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground,” Adani said in a post on Thursday.

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed that the pilot issued a MAYDAY call just before the aircraft lost contact with Air Traffic Control.

“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. The aircraft, immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the DGCA said.

Crash Details and Emergency Response

The crash occurred in the Meghaninagar area, just outside the Ahmedabad airport perimeter. The area was quickly sealed off and emergency responders, including fire and rescue teams, rushed to the scene.

“The plane caught fire after crashing and fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze,” said fire officer Jayesh Khadia.

Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik stated: “A plane crashed in the Meghaninagar area near the airport. It is not yet clear what type of plane it was.”

The DGCA has dispatched a team from Delhi to conduct an in-depth investigation. As of now, there is no official word on casualties, and rescue operations remain ongoing.

Authorities have urged the public to avoid the area while emergency teams continue operations.