Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the site of the Air India plane crash, in which 265 people lost their lives and met the injured at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad. PM later visited the city civil hospital, where he spoke to Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone plane survivor of the tragedy and also met other persons injured in the accident.
The Prime Minister also met the family members of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and remembered him as a humble and hardworking leader.
Rupani, 68, was among the 241 passengers of the London-bound flight who died in the horrific crash on Thursday afternoon.
PM Modi arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport on Friday morning and drove straight to the crash site, officials said. He spent around 20 minutes inspecting the site, where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171) crashed into a complex of BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar area shortly after taking off on Thursday afternoon. Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi informed the Prime Minister about how the plane crashed into the college hostel and mess.
The Prime Minister later visited the city civil hospital, where he spoke to Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone plane survivor of the tragedy and also met other persons injured in the accident.
The PM visited the C7 ward of the hospital, where 25 injured people are undergoing treatment and interacted with the doctors.
“Met the family of Shri Vijaybhai Rupani Ji. It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is not in our midst. I’ve known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times,” Modi said in his posts on X. “Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the Party’s ideology. Rising up the ranks, he held various responsibilities in the Organisation and went on to serve diligently as Gujarat’s Chief Minister,” he said.
In every role assigned, he distinguished himself, be it in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, as Rajya Sabha MP, as Gujarat BJP President and as Cabinet Minister in the State Government, Modi said.
“Vijaybhai and I also worked extensively when he was Gujarat CM. He ushered in many measures that enhanced Gujarat’s growth trajectory, particularly in boosting Ease of Living. Will always cherish the interactions we had. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” the PM said. The PM met the former Chief Minister’s wife Anjali Rupani and other family members at GujSail building near the airport.