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Ramesh Mahadev Pawar, who lost both his parents in the tragic Air India-171 plane crash, recalled the last moments he shared with them over a video call shortly before the incident.
His parents, Mahadev Pawar and Asha M Pawar, were among the 241 people who died when the London-bound flight crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. Speaking to reporters, Ramesh said, "My parents were travelling in that plane...We dropped them off at the airport. We also contacted them through a video call. Later, when we came to the house, we heard this news. We again went to the airport, where we found out that everyone had been taken to the Civil Hospital. Then we went to the Civil Hospital..." Flight AI-171 was en route to Gatwick Airport, London, when it crashed into a building near the airport shortly after takeoff, killing nearly everyone onboard except one. In response, the government has formed a high-level multi-disciplinary committee to investigate the causes of the crash. "A High-Level Multi-disciplinary Committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport (London) on June 12, 2025. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future," an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read. The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, the ATC Log, and witness testimonies, and will publish its report within three months. The committee, headed by the Home Secretary, includes representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, and aviation experts. The committee will assess the emergency response of the various stakeholders, including rescue operations and coordination among them. It will also suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations. (ANI)
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