President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his condolences following the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, India, which claimed multiple lives on Thursday, June 12.
In a social media post, Marcos said he extends his sympathies to the government of India as well as to the families of those who died in the tragic incident.
"Filipinos are deeply saddened by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. On behalf of the Filipino people, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India, and especially to the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives," the President said in statement.
"Our thoughts are with every family, across India and beyond, grieving this profound loss. We stand in full solidarity with the people of India in this moment of sorrow," he added.
According to Reuters, more than 200 people died when the Air India plane crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad. The flight was bound for London and had 242 people on board.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 babies. Air India said most of them were Indian nationals (169), followed by 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian.
The plane crashed into a residential area and struck a medical college dormitory near the airport during lunchtime. It was scheduled to land at Gatwick Airport near London.
Police said one person sitting in seat 11A survived. Authorities are checking hospitals to see if more survivors may be found.
Officials said this is the world's deadliest plane crash in the last 10 years.
