Textile city stunned into silence

Not just India, but the whole world was stunned to silence by the news of the devastating flight tragedy that killed almost 242 people on board in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Thursday. Five students of the medical hostel on which the flight dived, were killed brutally in the incident.

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the passengers who lost their lives. It is reported that a Malayali was among the victims of the accident. The flight, which took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad for London, was carrying 71 foreigners, including 53 British citizens.

The technical reasons behind the plane crashing and catching fire within five minutes of takeoff will be clarified only in the investigation announced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Air India's flagship aircraft, the Dreamliner Boeing aircraft, is equipped with all the latest safety features and it is often used for long-haul international services.

The plane, which took off and reached an altitude of only about 625 feet, failed to climb further and then nosedived into a hostel located in the middle of a residential town. The students who were about to have lunch in the hostel mess hall were hit by concrete slabs of the collapsed terrace. Five of them succumbed to injuries.

Ranjitha Gopakumar, a nurse from Pullad, Thiruvalla, was the Malayali victim of the tragedy. Ranjitha, who staff at the Pathanamthitta District Hospital, had taken a leave of absence for five years and had worked as a nurse first in Muscat and then in London. After spending vacation with her family, Ranjitha flew to Chennai from Kochi on Wednesday and then to Ahmedabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the tragedy was heartbreaking. The entire world has shared India's grief and promised all possible help.

Thirty-seven years ago, in 1988, an Indian Airlines Boeing plane from Mumbai to Ahmedabad crashed while preparing to land, killing 133 people. Only two people survived that day. Although air disasters are not uncommon, planes crashing over a populated area or failing to function immediately after takeoff are rare.

Every flight prepares for takeoff only after confirming its full functioning and effectiveness. It is a very devoted process that requires multiple inspections. We are used to seeing videos of angry passengers haranguing airport officials over pilots delaying take off citing meagre faults. Yet, the fact that the Air India plane crashed minutes after takeoff without any external circumstances is surprising.

Boeing has more than 1,100 Dreamliners in service worldwide, including the Dreamliner series launched in 2011. Air India has more than 30 Dreamliners. Although many minor technical problems have been reported in the past, Dreamliners are robust machines with no history of disasters.

Therefore, it is expected that the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Boeing and aviation safety agencies will conduct a detailed and comprehensive investigation into the technical reasons that led to yesterday's major disaster.

After every air accident, investigations at various levels by the Ministry of Civil Aviation are routine. Digressing from the norms, work should be put on for additional precautions and measures to ensure the safety of air travel. It is necessary to specifically investigate whether any of the crew made a mistake in the safety checks before the start of the travel.

Not all disasters can be prevented by humans. At the same time, it is important to ensure that no disaster comes from human negligence.