Mangaluru-origin pilot among crew killed in Air India crash near Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, June 12: First Officer Clive Kunder, who hails from Mangaluru and was a resident of Mumbai, was among the crew members aboard the Air India flight AI 171 that tragically crashed in a residential area near Meghaninagar in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, shortly after take-off.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM en route to London. Just about five minutes into the flight, the aircraft went down, leading to a devastating crash that claimed at least 133 lives. The flight was carrying 232 passengers—including two infants—and 12 crew members, making a total of 242 people on board.
Clive Kunder had completed his pilot training at Paris Air Inc. and had clocked around 1,100 hours of flying experience. He was assisting Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with over 8,200 hours of flight experience. Both were in the cockpit when the aircraft encountered trouble and crashed.
There were unconfirmed reports suggesting that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also on the passenger manifest, reportedly listed as passenger number 12. However, authorities are yet to confirm his presence on board.
Following the crash, flames engulfed the aircraft wreckage, with thick black smoke visible from several kilometres away. Emergency services, including the fire department, responded promptly. Fire Officer Jayesh Khadia confirmed that fire tenders were dispatched immediately to control the blaze and assist in rescue operations.
Senior cabin crew on duty included Shradha Dhavan and Aparna Mahadik. Other crew members identified were Saineeta Chakravarti, Nganthoi Kongbrailatpam Sharma, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Lamnunthem Singson, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has deployed a dedicated investigation team to probe the incident. The team includes the Director of Airworthiness, Assistant Director of Airworthiness, and a Flight Operations Inspector—who were already in Ahmedabad at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, operations at the Ahmedabad airport have been suspended until further notice. "All flight operations at SVPIA are temporarily suspended," an airport spokesperson said.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Rescue and recovery operations continue at the crash site, as authorities work to identify victims and offer support to grieving families.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
