United Nations, June 13 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.

“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”, he said on Thursday.

Guterres “extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and 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 added.

The Boeing Dreamliner on a flight to Gatwick Airport near London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport.

The plane had 242 passengers and crew, and there were reports of at least one person surviving the crash.

At least five people were killed on the ground when the plane hit a medical college campus, reports said.

The aircraft had issued a distress call moments before losing altitude, and investigators are now focused on retrieving the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — commonly known as black boxes — to reconstruct the final moments of the flight.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who rushed to the crash site from Vijayawada, confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with leading the inquiry.

–IANS

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