SAUDI EXPATRIATES

Their separate messages to India's President Droupadi Murmu expressed their sympathies and wished the injured a quick recovery.

The news of the Indian passenger plane disaster that occurred after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in India and the plane's following collision with a residential structure, leading to casualties and injuries, was brought to the king's attention.

We offer our best condolences and sympathies to you, the relatives of the deceased, and your friendly people as we share Your Excellency's sorrow over this tragedy.

In his message, the Crown Prince stated, "I express to Your Excellency, as well as to the families of the deceased and to your friendly people, my deepest condolences and sincere sympathy, wishing the injured a speedy recovery."

On Thursday afternoon, not long after taking off from Ahmedabad in India's northwest, an Air India plane carrying 244 people crashed. Read: Saudi Arabia announces the beginning of new Umrah season

One passenger survived the crash, Viswashkumar Ramesh, a British national, escaped by jumping from the plane. He said, "30 seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed." It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me."

Shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM local time, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was operating as Flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick, went down. There are a lot of people living and working in the Meghani Nagar region, where the plane went down.

A video posted online showed thick smoke rising from the collision site as firefighters sprayed flames and searched for survivors within the rubble and surrounding structures. On the ground, close to the rubble, were burned remains.

Among the 242 people on board, 169 were Indian, 53 were British, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian, according to Air India. A dispute remains to be resolved between the number reported as 244 by Indian civil aviation officials and the actual number.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes as "devastating," while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the tragedy as "heartbreaking beyond words." The incident occurred in Modi's home state of Gujarat, and he offered prayers for the victims. See Also: Saudi Arabia bans working under direct sunlight for 3-months

It is thought that this disaster, involving a Boeing 787-8, is the first involving a Boeing 787 type since its launch in 2009. Worldwide, almost a thousand Dreamliners have been dispatched.

Medical help and relief are already being distributed at the crash site, according to India's Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.

With the words, "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event," Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran announced the making of an emergency support center for the relatives of victims.

British legislators have likewise offered their sympathies. In a statement to Parliament, Cabinet Minister Lucy Powell assured impacted families in the UK and India that they would receive full government support.

For India, this is the greatest aviation tragedy since the Kozhikode crash of the Air India Express in 2020, which claimed the lives of twenty-one persons. Follow Saudi Expatriates on X platform

A mid-air collision over Haryana in 1996 killed 349 people, making it the deadliest aviation accident in the country.

Authorities still don't know what went wrong with the plane shortly after takeoff, but they are investigating it.

King Salman and Crown Prince express their deepest condolences over deadly plane crash in India