Ahmedabad plane crash: Vijay Rupani was on flight, among those deceased, says Union minister

In a major development following the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, Union Minister CR Patil on Thursday confirmed that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the passengers on board.

“Our leader, former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, was on that flight,” Patil said in a statement. “He, too, has fallen victim to this tragic accident.”

Expressing grief, Patil added, “May God grant peace to his soul.”

Calling it an immense loss for the BJP, he said, “This is a deep blow to the BJP family as well.”

Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London, crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing all 242 people on board.

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The aircraft was seen losing altitude rapidly before crashing in a fireball, sending thick black smoke spiraling into the sky.

According to officials, the flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian passenger. The 12-member crew was also among those killed.

Aviation regulator DGCA confirmed that the aircraft’s pilot issued a Mayday call to Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control shortly after takeoff. However, no further communication was received from the cockpit after the distress signal.

The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with 8,200 flight hours, along with First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience.

In response to the disaster, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal investigation. Senior officials, including the AAIB Director General and Director of Investigation, are en route to Ahmedabad to lead the probe into what caused one of the deadliest aviation accidents in recent Indian history.

With inputs from agencies