PRIME Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday he is “devastated to learn of the crash of a London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad, carrying 242 passengers — including one Canadian.”

In a post on X, he said: “My thoughts are with the loved ones of everyone on board.   Canada’s transportation officials are in close contact with counterparts and I am receiving regular updates as the response to this tragedy unfolds.”

The Canadian passenger killed has been identified as Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, 33, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario.

A British man, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A, is the sole survivor.

There were 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew. Of the passengers, there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals, reports BBC.

The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, sent a mayday call to air traffic control after take-off, but then stopped responding. Signal was lost seconds after take-off when the plane had reached 625ft (190m), according to Flightradar24. The plane came down in a residential area near the airport, crashing into a hostel for doctors. At least 50 injured medical students are being treated in hospital, according to one report.

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