Ireland's Taoiseach and Tánaiste have responded to the fatal Air India plane crash in India today, Thursday, June 12.
“It is horrific and very, very sad what has happened in India, the plane [crash] just shortly after departure, I believe less than a minute,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in Co Louth on Thursday, according to The Times.
“Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of those bereaved, crew members bereaved, and with the people of India, Britain, and Canada. The world is a much closer place, we all travel.
“It is extremely sad and shocking that an accident of this scale has occurred with the loss of so much life.
“It’s not too long away from the commemoration of the Air India disaster in Ireland 50 years ago. All of us who experienced that had a sense of trauma that people go through when crashes of this kind happen.”
My thoughts and prayers are with the people of India after the terrible plane crash in Ahmedabad earlier today.
Thinking of the families of all those on board, along with the emergency services attending the scene.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 12, 2025
Ireland's Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris separately said: "Deeply shocked at reports of a plane crashing shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad in India.
"My Department, including Ireland’s embassy in India, is closely monitoring the situation.
"My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected."
Deeply shocked at reports of a plane crashing shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad in India.
My Department, including Ireland’s embassy in India, is closely monitoring the situation.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 12, 2025
Meanwhile, the Irish Embassy in India - based in New Delhi - shared the emergency phone numbers released by Ahmedabad Police and Air India following the tragedy.
The Embassy said it would be monitoring developments.
— Irish Embassy India (@IrlEmbIndia) June 12, 2025
Air India crash
Earlier on Thursday, Air India confirmed that its flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident after take-off.
The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1:38 pm, was carrying 242 passengers and 12 crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, seven are Portuguese nationals, and one is a Canadian national.
The injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals.
Air India set up a dedicated passenger hotline number - 1800 5691 444 - to provide more information, while a separate hotline number - +91 8062779200 - has been established for foreign nationals.
Air India said it is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.
The airline is organizing two relief flights, one from Delhi and one from Mumbai, to Ahmedabad for the next of kin of passengers and Air India staff.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI News Agency: "The police found one survivor in seat 11A. He has been in the hospital and is under treatment.
"Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential neighborhood."
The survivor has been named as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian national.
Ramesh Viswashkumar, The sole survivor of the Air India crash escaped by jumping from the plane. He was on seat number 11A. #AirIndia #AhmedabadNews #Gujarat #PlaneCrash #ITReel pic.twitter.com/NsMBeZOkbX
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 12, 2025
“30 seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh, who received “impact injuries” on his chest, eyes, and feet, told the Hindustan Times from the hospital.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me," he said.
"I was scared. I stood up and ran.
"There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Ramesh said he was traveling with his brother Ajay, who was seated in a different row on the plane.
“We visited Diu," Ramesh told the Hindustan Times,
"He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore.
"Please help me find him."
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