1 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ Flight path 2 Last Signal 3 HYDERABAD l friday l june 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l LATE City EDITION 1. Initial impact, tail stuck 2. Building & surroundings destroyed; 3. Engine found Crash site Ahmedabad The plane crashed after reaching an altitude of about 825 feet. The tail got stuck on the roof of a medical college hostel as plane burst into flames after hitting the ground In a nutshell D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad The tragedy is heartbreaking beyond words. I’ve been in touch with ministers and authorities to assist those affected Narendra Modi, PM I let them know that anything we can do -we’ll be over there immediately. But it was a horrific crash. One of the worst in aviation history Donald Trump, US Presdient Scenes emerging of the plane crash are devastating. Being updated as the situation develops Keir Starmer, UK PM Difficult day for all of us. Now focused entirely on needs of our passengers, crew members, their families, Campbell Wilson, CEO, Air India P robably among the worst disasters in India’s aviation history an Air India , Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, crashed just minutes after takeoff, leaving at least 290 people feared dead on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft, carrying 242 people — 230 passengers and 12 crew — went down in the densely populated Meghaninagar area near the Forensic Cross Road shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 pm. The crash occurred at around 2 pm, and within moments huge flames engulfed residential buildings and commercial structures near the impact zone. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) set up a probe team. Among the passengers on board were 169 Indians, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. He was reportedly going to London to meet his daughter. Authorities initially feared there were no survivors. “It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Commissioner GS Malik told reporters immediately after the crash. However, in the evening, he confirmed that one passenger — seated in 11A — had been miraculously rescued and was undergoing treatment at a hospital. “We cannot confirm the final toll yet, especially as the aircraft crashed in a residential area,” he said. The devastation on the ground was horrifying as the crash site included Atulyam Flats, home to staff from the Civil Hospital. According to sources, approximately 50 bodies have been recovered so far. At the time of the crash, nearly 200 people were believed to be inside the three residential buildings housing 94 flats, raising fears that the toll may significantly rise. The aircraft crashed onto the BJ Medical College PG hostel, collapsing parts of four buildings, killing at least 50 medical students. Six bodies have been recovered from the hostel so far. There was utter chaos at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, with the hospital ran short of body bags. The ill-fated aircraft was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran with over 8,200 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged approximately 1,100 hours. As fire and rescue teams battled the inferno and sifted through debris, Home Minister Amit Shah visited the injured and chaired an emergency meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel. They reviewed the ongoing rescue efforts and discussed the next steps in managing the fallout of the catastrophic crash. Across the world, UN chief Antonio Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were among scores of world leaders who offered condolences. Guterres said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the plane crash. President Putin said,“Please convey my sympathy and support to the families of those killed and my wishes for a swift recovery to those injured in the crash.”  P9 Air India 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner Ahmedabad to Gatwick Departure: 1339 IST Runway No: 23 mayday! mayday! The first series of video grabs show how the flight ascended and started descending before crashing. (Right) The tail got stuck in the roof of medical college hostel 241 on flight dead 169 Indians 1 Canadian 53 British 2 Pilots 7 Portuguese 10 Cabin crew 50 killed on ground *Final toll to be out after DNA tests on bodies 1 survivor (UK) ex-Gujarat CM Rupani miraculous: ramesh among dead in crash lives to tell tale ed a different flight. Yet a leaked passenger manifest clearly listed “Vijay Ramniklal FORMER Gujarat Chief Min- Rupani” as the 12th traveller ister Vijay Rupani was among in the Business Class Z-categothe dead in the plane crash. ry on the doomed aircraft. Gujarat BJP PresiSources close to the dent and Union Minisformer CM revealed ter CR Paatil confirmed that he was planning the worst: “Vijay Rupathe London visit to ni was also on the flight bring back his wife, to meet his family He is . Anjali Rupani. Rupaa victim of this accini’s Rajkot residence dent. This is a huge was a grim picture with Vijay Rupani loss for the BJP .” tense family members, Contradictions deepneighbours, and wellened when a close aide of wishers gathered in stunned Rupani insisted he had board- silence. D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Formal investigation initiated, says minister New Delhi: Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said. “A formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).” A team of US investigators (National Transportation Safety Board) will assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation. Boeing safety concerns after Dreamliner accident New Delhi: Air India crash rings safety alarm bells for Boeing planes. The fresh accident has raised questions on the safety on its widebody Dreamliner planes which were considered one of the safest planes | P12 D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Miracles do happen. Once in a while there are instances when humans do cheat death. One such example was when one person walked out of the Air India crash on Thursday. What seemed even outrageously miraculous was the way he walked out from the inferno with some bruises. He was shaken. Ramesh Vishwaskumar, a British citizen seated on 11A, survived a tragedy that 241 other on board could not. “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise,” he told local reporters, all of whom had milled around him with deep disbelief. “There were dead bodies around me. I got scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere.” His chest, eyes, and feet bore “impact injuries,” but he lived to tell the tale. In the viral video now making rounds on social media, Ramesh can be seen limping away from the wreckage, clothes torn, blood streaking down his face—an image l e t h al i m pac t M ayday call in two minutes but no contact after that. Mayday call is given at a time of full emergency T he plane was flying very low and it crashed into the residential quarters of doctors and nursing staff of civil hospital and BJ Medical college Pilots Captain Sumeet Sabharwal: 8,200 flying hours of experience First officer Clive Kundar: 1,100 hours of flying experience Worst flight disaster in terms of casualties The deadliest crash was in 1996, when a Saudia and Kazakhstan Airlines flight collided mid-air near Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, killing 349 people Previous lethal disaster Ramesh Vishwaskumar etched with trauma and raw survival. Originally from India, Ramesh has lived in London for the past 20 years with his wife and child. His return trip was supposed to be a brief family reunion; instead, it turned into a brush with death. But the trauma didn’t end with survival. His brother Ajay Vishwaskumar, who was also on the same flight, is currently 'missing'. Two of Ramesh’s friends have rushed to Ahmedabad from Diu, hoping for another miracle and fearing the worst. Ramesh was rushed to a hospital by ambulance soon after escaping the wreckage. Doctors have termed his injuries nonlife-threatening, but emotional toll will take time to heal. India’s worst single-aircraft crash was on Jan 1, 1978, when Air India’s Boeing 747, Emperor Ashoka, crashed, killing all 213 onboard shortly after takeoff to Dubai Recent tragedies 2020 Air India Express with 190 onboard skidded off Kozhikode runway, fell 35 feet and split 2010 Air India Express plane from Dubai crashed at Mangalore airport with 166 onboard 1985 In 1985, an Air India flight was bombed mid-air; all 329 died This could go down as one of the worst plane crashes in the history of aviation Tata Group to provide 1 crore to kin of deceased, to take care of medical needs Major IAS reshuffle sees Abandoned, elderly parents reclaim dignity Mittal out of Revenue The RDO interacts with some of the elderly parents abandoned by their children at his office, in Nalgonda in this file photograph A S e s h a c h a r y u l u @ Nalgonda six dead as lightning strikes adilabad|p3 express read After UN censure, Iran to activate 3rd nuclear site Vienna: Iran on Thursday said it will activate a third nuclear enrichment facility, ratcheting up tensions after the IAEA censured Iran for the first time in 20 years for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons | P11 E N S @ Hyderabad New district ministers In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the state government on Thursday transferred 33 IAS officers and two IFS officers. Orders to this effect were issued by Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao. As per the orders, Navin Mittal, principal secretary, Revenue department, has been posted as principal secretary, Energy department. DS Lokesh Kumar has been given full additional charge (FAC) as secretary Revenue department, and , as chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA). N Sridhar, principal secretary, SC Development department, has been posted as principal secretary, Panchayat Raj The state govt on Thursday relieved a few senior ministers of the responsibility of districts while the three newly-inducted Cabinet members were made district in-charge ministers | P4 and Rural Development department. He will also hold the post of principal secretary Mines & , Geology department. Shashank Goel, special chief secretary Telangana Bhavan in , Delhi, has been posted as resident commissioner, Telangana Bhavan, relieving Gaurav Uppal who has been posted as secretary to Government, Coordination (Government of India Projects), Telangana Bhavan, Delhi.  continued on P4 The number of elderly parents turning to the Nalgonda district collector’s office, pleading for the cancellation of property registrations made in their children’s names and seeking to reclaim their assets is increasing, a pointer to the rot setting in. Most of the petitioners have a common complaint — that their own children have abandoned them or failed to provide proper care. Most of the complainants cite issues such as children failing to provide financial support, wrongful registration of property forcible eviction from fam, ily homes and general neglect. Until recently, these disputes were typically resolved at the RDO Tribunal stage while some appeals reached the collector. One of the most telling cases involved R Venkatamma (75) of Miryalaguda. A widow with three daughters and one son, she had divided her six-acre property, an acre each to her daughters and three to her son. Following her son’s death last year, Venkatamma alleged that her daughter-in-law refused to support or care for her. She petitioned for the return of one acre of land from the portion given to her son, as well as `5 lakh from her daughterin-law towards her medical expenses, which had already cost `20 lakh. Of this `20 lakh, her daughters had contributed `5 lakh each. The collector ruled in Venkatamma’s favour, ordering the return of one acre to secure her sustenance. In another unprecedented instance under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, the Adavidevulapally police station registered an FIR against four sons and one daughter from Bellampalli village for allegedly neglecting their 92-year-old mother, P Chandramma. After transferring 24 acres of land to her children, Chandramma found herself abandoned. The collector directed not only that an FIR be filed but also that each child take turns caring for their mother for a month at a time. One elderly resident told TNIE that since Ila Tripathi took charge as collector, the law is being put to real use to protect abandoned parents. Narsamma, another senior citizen from Miryalaguda mandal, spoke of the heartbreak involved in reclaiming land given to her children. “It’s painful. It’s a necessity not , a choice, so that I survive,” she said.  Continued on P7