Ahmedabad: Among those on board the ill-fated flight were former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and 53 British nationals.
The London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport at 1:38pm on Thursday. Several casualties are feared.
The aircraft, piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal and Co-pilot Clive Kunder, had 12 crew members on board. Of the passengers, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian.
According to the passenger list, “Vijay Ramniklal Rupani” was the 12th name on the manifest and was travelling in Z class, part of Business Class.
Outside Rupani’s residence in Rajkot, a tense and emotional atmosphere prevailed as neighbours gathered, awaiting official confirmation with growing concern.
