Air India Flight AI171 Crash: Tributes Pour In as Rohit Sharma Mourns Tragedy

Indian ODI cricket captain Rohit Sharma expressed his deep sorrow on Thursday for the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, offering prayers for the victims and their families. The ill-fated London-bound Air India flight, which took off from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, was carrying 242 individuals, including 12 crew members.

Of the passengers, 169 were Indian nationals, alongside 53 British, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese nationals. Rohit Sharma shared his sentiments on Instagram, describing the incident as 'really sad and disturbing', while Air India confirmed that flight AI171 encountered an accident soon after departing for London Gatwick.

Commanded by Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with support from First Officer Clive Kundar, the Boeing 787-8 made a Mayday call but lost contact, plunging outside the airport perimeter. Thick black smoke was reported from the site, and a hotline number, 1800 5691 444, has been established for inquiries. Investigations are ongoing.

(With inputs from agencies.)