Air India plane crash: Trip to meet son in London becomes last moment for elderly Maharashtra couple

 An elderly couple from Maharashtra’s Solapur district were among those on board the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday, a senior official confirmed. Mahadev Pawar (68) and his wife Asha (60), originally from Hatid village in Sangola tehsil, had been living in Ahmedabad for several years. The couple had planned to visit their son in London.

A senior official from the Solapur district administration said, “Mahadev Pawar used to work in a textile mill in Nadiad (in Gujarat). He had two sons – one living in Ahmedabad and the other in London. The couple was on board the plane that crashed minutes after the take-off.”

Sources added that the Pawar family had left Sangola and settled in Gujarat around 15 years ago.

They had recently visited Hatid to meet their relatives, they said. The London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. According to Air India, the Boeing 787-8 aircraft from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Gujarat that authorities will announce the number of those killed in the plane crash only after DNA tests and verification of passengers.

No chance of survival due to burning fuel heat: Amit Shah on AI plane crash

Union minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that the temperature in the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad was so high due to burning fuel that there was no chance to save anyone.

There was 1.25 lakh litre of fuel inside the plane and it caught heat so it was impossible to save anyone, Shah told reporters. The entire nation is in deep shock following the tragedy, he told reporters. Shah also expressed condolences to relatives of those killed in the accident. The number of those killed will be officially released by the authorities after DNA test and identification of the victims, Shah said.
 

(With inputs from agency)