Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group, which owns Air India, said it will provide a compensation of 10 million rupees (around 116,854 U.S. dollars) to the families of each person who was killed in Thursday's plane crash in the western Indian state of Gujarat, reported Xinhua.
It also announced that it will bear the cost of the medical expenses of those injured and pledged to provide support for rebuilding the medical hostel that was hit in the crash.
"We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171. No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured. Tata Group will provide 1 crore Indian rupees (10 million Indian rupees) to the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy," N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, said in a statement.
"We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support. Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the B J Medical's hostel. We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time."
The London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board crashed at the premises of a medical college immediately after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.
According to the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) Doctors Association, one person was killed, while at least seven are reported missing, besides 50 others injured at the premises of B J Medical College, where the flight crashed, causing severe damage to the buildings.
In pictures from the crash site, scattered plates and utensils can be seen lying on the tables in the hostel canteen, indicating that medical students were having lunch at the time of the crash.
The chief executive of Air India, Campbell Wilson, expresses "deep sorrow" following the plane crash.
"This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones," he said in a video statement posted on social media.
"Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now, we are doing," he said.
Air India has announced two special relief flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Ahmedabad for the next of kin of passengers and Air India staff affected by the tragic plane crash.
While authorities are not releasing the figures of the death toll in the crash, India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a press briefing that a lot of people have lost their lives in the plane crash.
Meanwhile, a minister in the Indian government has confirmed the killing of former Gujarat chief minister and a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vijay Rupani in Thursday's London-bound Air India flight crash in the western state.
This seems to be the first official confirmation of the death in the Air India flight with 242 people on board that crashed immediately after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
As per Air India, there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on board at the time of the crash, besides two pilots and 10 cabin crew members.
"Our leader and former Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, was going to meet his family. He is also a victim in this incident. This is a big loss for the BJP," C R Patil, India's federal water resources minister told reporters.
The 68-year-old Rupani was the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat and served the state from August 2016 to September 2021.
Meanwhile, one passenger onboard the ill-fated plane was rescued alive after several hours had lapsed since the tragedy occurred, confirmed a top cop on Thursday. Earlier report said all people on board the crashed plane were killed.
However, the identity of the lone survivor could not be ascertained yet.
Media reports quoted the cop as saying that the passenger sitting on seat number 11A was found alive, and had been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
A video of the aircraft flying low and struggling to gain altitude shows the plane going down and exploding in a massive ball of fire.
Other videos from the site show thick columns of black smoke rising from the ground.
- Air India
- Plane
- Crash
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
