(credit: un photo)  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN world headquarters in New York

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

An Air India plane headed to London crashed moments after take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad, killing more than 200 people on Thursday.  The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers, crashed into a medical college near the airport with only one reported survivor.  The plane crash also killed others on the ground. UN Secretary General António Guterres extended “heartfelt” condolences to the families of the deadly crash and expressed sorrow.

“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 12 June, which claimed the lives of more than 200 people aboard as well as the loss of life and injuries at the BJ Medical College hostel, which was struck during the crash,” Farhan Haq, spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement. Guterres also conveyed condolences to “the people and Government of India, as well as to all countries whose citizens were affected by this tragedy. He wishes a swift and full recovery to those who were injured,” Haq said. The plane was headed to London Gatwick. 

According to the airline, 169 of the passengers on board were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The sole survivor was reportedly a British national of Indian origin. The exact cause of the plane crash is being investigated.