NIA team, Central agency officials visit crash site

A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as well as officials from other Central agencies, visited the Ahmedabad plane crash site on Friday. An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college complex shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.

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While initial assessments pointed to a mechanical failure as the likely cause, the presence of the NIA suggests that the government is not ruling out any possibility until all angles are thoroughly investigated.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and local police are already conducting parallel investigations. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the Civil Aviation Ministry, has launched a probe into the incident. The AAIB is tasked with classifying safety occurrences involving aircraft in Indian airspace as either accidents or serious incidents.

Sources said the NIA is likely to assist the police and other agencies in investigating the crash. Meanwhile, Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran said it would not retreat from its responsibilities, from doing what is right even though it is a “difficult” time. He emphasised that the group, which owns Air India, would be transparent in its communication on the plane crash.

“This is a very difficult moment. What occurred yesterday was inexplicable, and we are in shock and mourning. To lose a single person we know is a tragedy, but for so many deaths to occur at once is incomprehensible. This is one of the darkest days in Tata Group’s history. Words are no consolation right now, but my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the people who died and were injured in the crash. We are here for them,” Chandrasekaran said.

In the past 24 hours, investigative teams from the UK and the US have arrived in Ahmedabad to investigate the crash, he said, adding, “They have our full cooperation, and (we) will be completely transparent about the findings.” (With inputs from agencies)