Ahmedabad: A tragic air crash occurred near Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday, when an Air India flight bound for London crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar. The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, had taken off from Ahmedabad International Airport at 1:38 PM with 242 people on board.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots made a distress call, known as a “MAYDAY” call, to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) shortly after takeoff. This was the last communication from the aircraft. After the emergency message, the plane went silent and crashed moments later just outside the airport.
The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with 8,200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of experience.
What is a MAYDAY Call?
In aviation, “MAYDAY” is the most urgent distress signal that a flight crew can send to air traffic controllers. The term comes from the French phrase "m’aider", meaning "help me." It is repeated three times, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” to avoid confusion with other radio messages.
Pilots issue a MAYDAY call when the aircraft faces a serious emergency such as an engine failure, severe weather, technical malfunction, or a medical crisis. The call alerts ATC and nearby aircraft that immediate help is needed. Once received, all other communications are paused, and the focus shifts to supporting the distressed flight.
In this case, the Air India aircraft gave the MAYDAY signal just after takeoff, but before the pilots could explain the situation or respond to further communication, the aircraft crashed.
169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian were onboard the Air India flight. Emergency services rushed to the scene, and rescue operations are ongoing.
A full investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.
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New Delhi: The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) is reportedly developing two special modules on Operation Sindoor, aimed at familiarising students with India's military capabilities.
“While the first special module on Operation Sindoor will be for students of Classes 3 to 8 and second will be available for Classes 9 to 12. The aim of these modules is to make students aware about India's military power and how Pakistan was defeated once again,” Hindustan Times quotes its source as saying.
Each module will span approximately 8 to 10 pages and will focus on the achievements of the Indian Armed Forces.
These modules are expected to be introduced in the upcoming academic session and will supplement the existing syllabus.
In addition to Operation Sindoor, NCERT is also preparing modules on a range of national achievements and historical events. Upcoming topics include Mission LiFE ('LiFEStyle For Environment'), the horrors of Partition, and India's growing stature in space exploration—from the Chandrayaan and Aditya L1 missions to Subhanshu Shukla’s journey to the International Space Station, HT quoted a source from the education ministry as saying.
Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to states, directing them to mandatorily adopt NCERT textbooks for Classes 9 to 12. The board has also “strongly advised” that states use either NCERT or State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) books. Supplementary materials may be used by schools, provided they align with the National Curriculum Framework