New Delhi, June 12 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed grief at the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday and prayed for the safety of all passengers.

A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. Many people are feared killed.

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According to Air India, the Boeing 787-8 aircraft from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national.

"Deeply saddened by the tragic flight crash in Ahmedabad. Praying for the safety of all passengers and crew onboard. Thoughts are with families affected," Vaishnaw said in a post on X.

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The Railway Ministry has also extended all possible help in the ongoing rescue operations.

A seven-member disaster management team headed by an Assistant Security Commissioner of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) along with a team of six doctors, 20 staff and seven ambulances are rendering all possible help in the rescue operation of the tragic Air India flight crash at Ahmedabad, the ministry said.

"Team Ahmedabad is helping all sister agencies in rescue work and is geared up if further assistance is required," it added.

The ministry has also taken the initiative to run two special trains from Ahmedabad to Delhi as well as Mumbai for stranded air passengers in the wake of the crash.

A special train for Delhi will start from Ahmedabad at 11.30 pm and half an hour later another one for Mumbai has been scheduled for midnight, the ministry said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)