3 MBBS students, wife of senior doctor die in crash FRIDAY The AI flight crashed into the UG hostel of BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar area. Dr Dhaval Gameti, president, Resident Doctors Association of BJ Medical College, said three undergraduate students and wife of a super speciality doctor have died due to injuries sustained after the crash. The plane crashed onto the dormitory of the students hostel and hit the mess where many students had gathered for lunch. 13 JUNE, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard 1 CALIFORNIA OPPOSES TRUMP’S USE OF MILITARY IN LA Opponents of Trump are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary. PAGE 9 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Flight path 2 Last Signal 3 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 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 President 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 — 232 passengers and 10 crew — went down in the densely populated Meghani Nagar 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, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. 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 running 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 P5 & 7 injured in the crash.” 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 52 BRITISH 2 PILOTS 7 PORTUGUESE 10 CABIN CREW 50 killed on ground *FInal toll to be out after DNA tests on bodies 1 British survivor 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 Vijay Rupani loss for the BJP .” with tense family memContradictions deepbers, neighbours, and ened when a close aide of well-wishers gathered in Rupani insisted he had board- stunned 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. P7 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 | P10 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 A L I M PAC T Mayday call in two minutes but no contact after that. Mayday call is given at a time of full emergency The 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. 21 died others survived 2010 Air India Express plane from Dubai crashed at Mangalore with 166 onboard. Eight survived 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 MHA to get 200 rooms, MEA 100 in CCS building Monsoon likely to reach Delhi by June 25 PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi MARKING a milestone in the Central Vista redevelopment, the process of iconic administrative buildings like North Block, South Block, and Shastri, Nirman, Udyog and Krishi Bhawans has formally begun. Ministries housed in these decades-old structures are set to shift to the newly built Common Central Secretariat (CCS) Building 3, which is now in its final stage of readiness. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will occupy over 200 rooms on the 4th to 6th floors. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would get at least 100 rooms on the 3rd floor, which it will share with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, allotted 25 rooms. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the De- partment of Personnel and Training, currently in Shastri Bhawan and North Block, have been allotted 150 and 90 rooms across the lower floors. The Ministry of Rural Development and MSME Ministry including , the Land Resources and Development Commissioner, will move from Udyog, Krishi and Nirman Bhawan to the 2nd and ground floors of CCS 3. A CPWD facilitation desk has been set up to coordinate the move. Nodal officers will assist with movement plans, parking, safety features and services. The relocation marks a historic transition from buildings that have housed India’s administration for decades. North and South Blocks were conceptualised over a century ago when the capital shifted from Kolkata to Delhi. The Bhawans, built 60 to 70 years ago, currently house 51 ministries and departments. Interior work and digital infrastructure in CCS 3 are currently being finalised. J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi THE capital and Northwest India may get relief from the ongoing heatwave next week as the Southwest Monsoon is likely to advance between June 19 and 25, according to the IMD. Until then, high temperatures and dust storms will persist, especially in Rajasthan. Severe heat has gripped the region, affecting daily life across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP Madhya Pradesh, and even , hill stations like Manali. The IMD forecasts formation of multiple systems that will help monsoon winds spread to most parts of the Northwest region after a week. Upper-air cyclonic circulation and a low pressure area are forming over the north and adjoining central Bay of Bengal. Besides, strong westerly and southwesterly winds are active along the west coast. “These systems will bring heavy and widespread rainfall over east, northeast, central and adjoining northwest India between June 19 and 25. Extremely heavy rainfall is also likely over Gujarat, Konkan, and Goa during some days of the week,” the IMD said. The heavy and widespread rainfall in the region will bring down the temperature, and the hilly regions may experience below-normal temperatures. Maximum temperatures may dip by 2–4°C over the Northwest and central regions.