US President Donald Trump has extended his condolences and offered full support to India following the devastating crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad. Speaking to reporters, Trump described the incident as one of the worst aviation disasters in recent history and assured that the United States stands ready to assist.
“It’s a big country, a strong country. They’ll handle it, I’m sure,” Trump said. “I let them know — anything we can do, we’ll be over there immediately.” He emphasised that the United States is prepared to provide any form of help required by the Indian authorities.
Commenting on the nature of the crash, Trump said, “It was a horrible crash. Nobody has any idea what it might be.” He also noted that from what he had seen, the plane appeared to be flying normally before the incident. “I gave them a couple of pointers. We saw the plane — it looked like it was flying pretty well. It didn’t look like there could be an explosion. It just looked like maybe the engines lost power,” he added.
The tragic crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was en route to London. The aircraft went down just five minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, crashing into a government hospital hostel. The crash has claimed over 200 lives, making it the deadliest aviation accident globally in more than a decade.
Also Read: Amit Shah reviews situation in Ahmedabad, meets survivor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the media after visiting the crash site and confirmed that the Prime Minister had personally intervened to oversee the situation. “The Prime Minister personally called to oversee the situation, and both state and central agencies launched a joint search and rescue operation,” Shah said. “Of the 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, one survivor has been confirmed, whom I met personally.”
Shah also explained the severity of the crash, saying, “There was around 1.25 lakh litres of fuel on the aircraft. The temperature was also very high, because of which there was no chance to save anyone.”
Air India had earlier confirmed that flight AI171 was carrying a total of 242 people — 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals. So far, over 200 deaths have been confirmed, with 41 individuals reported injured. Among the deceased is former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. BJP’s state president CR Patil confirmed the news, stating, “Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has passed away. The BJP family is deeply saddened.”
Also Read: Air India, DGCA issue statements on flight captain & crew
Follow us
