Rohit Sharma expresses sorrow over tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad

New Delhi [India] June 12 : Indian ODI skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday expressed sorrow over the "tragic" plane crash in Ahmedabad and said his prayers are with the families of the passengers and the crew.
The London-bound flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, was carrying 242 passengers including 12 crew members. Of these, 169 are Indians, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian and 7 Portuguese nationals.
Rohit Sharma posted on Instagram and said, "Really sad and disturbing news from Ahmedabad. Prayers for all the lives lost and their families."
"Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hours, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444, to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident," the Airlines said.
The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The official added that the copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC.
Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. The official said that heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site.