Taoiseach Micheál Martin has described the devastation caused by plane crashes like the recent Air India tragedy as “shocking”, reports The Mirror.
An aircraft carrying as many as 242 passengers – including 53 British citizens – crashed en route to the UK.
The Air India flight, which had been heading to Gatwick Airport, went down near an airport in Ahmedabad in western India, erupting in flames and producing a thick column of black smoke. Firefighters were quickly dispatched to the fiery crash site, reports The Mirror.
Air India has confirmed that 53 British nationals were among the passengers. Footage shared online shows a massive explosion as the aircraft crashes into a residential neighbourhood.
Authorities believe there are no survivors, reports The Mirror.
While visiting Louth, the Taoiseach commented on the crash, saying the scale of loss in such disasters is “shocking” given how common air travel has become.
Mr Martin said: “I think it is horrific and very, very sad that has happened in India [with] the plane just shortly after departure, I believe just in a minute. Our thoughts and our prayers are with families of those bereaved, crew members bereaved and with people of India, Britain and Canada. The world is a much closer place we all travel. It is extremely sad and shocking that an accident of this scale has occurred with the loss of so much life. It’s not too long away from the commemoration of the Air India disaster in Ireland 50 years ago. All of us who experienced that had a sense of trauma that people go through when crashes [occur],” reports The Mirror.
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