"Deeply Saddened": Pope Leo XIV On Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Pope Leo XIV expressed his "heartfelt condolences" Thursday to those who have lost loved ones in an air crash in India and prayers for those recovering the bodies of victims.
"Deeply saddened by the tragedy involving an Air India aircraft near Ahmedabad, his Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives," the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in a telegram.
Pope Leo also sent his "assurance of prayers for all involved in the recovery efforts", Parolin said.
London-bound Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff.
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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India crash aftermath: Broken hearts & empty homes; a husband who hasn't cried, an elderly who won't go home
AHMEDABAD: Eleven days after the London-bound AI 171 crashed in Ahmedabad, victims' families continue to struggle with overwhelming grief, with many displaying unexpected reactions to trauma that has left counsellors concerned. One of the most heartbreaking cases is a 27-year-old man who lost his wife and has been unable to cry even once. The couple had married in 2024, and he had flown ahead to set up their new home in London. "I should have been with her," the guilt-ridden man has been telling himself repeatedly, too traumatised to come to terms with the loss. During their last conversation, his wife had told him repeatedly not to get delayed and keep her waiting at London's Gatwick airport. "So, when he received news of the crash, he took the first available flight and reached Ahmedabad, rebuking himself for getting late. He visited the (hospital) campus for three days to complete procedures and take home her remains for last rites. He did not cry, could not cry rather, even once," said a counsellor at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. Hospital authorities have appointed 10 counsellors - primarily experienced psychiatrists - to help families cope with the deaths of loved ones. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Urvika Parekh, one of the counsellors, recounted breaking the news to a seven-year-old girl. "She had come to give DNA samples for identification of remains. The family could not break the news to her. Some families have lost multiple family members. The void is hard to fill," Parekh said. The counsellors have encountered several instances of families unable to return to normal lives. A senior citizen who lost four family members has not gone back home. "The emptiness of the house is too overwhelming for him, so he has been staying with a close relative for the time being. The same is true for several families as they have just held the last rites of their dear ones and are now finding it difficult to envision life without them," she said. Parekh explained the seven stages of grief - shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, the upward turn, reconstruction, and acceptance. Disha Vasavada, another psychiatrist and counsellor said, "It is tougher to cope with the loss of a child than a parent. In many instances, it may take days or weeks to process the trauma." The counsellors will stay in touch with families. "Some relatives gained composure initially but could not hold themselves back when the coffins were handed over. The first few days were spent making arrangements, but when reality sets in, hand-holding is necessary," she said. The psychiatrists drew parallels with early Covid deaths, where relatives were not allowed to see the deceased one last time, causing dissonance for those seeking closure.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Days After Air India Crash: Air Crews Fasten Mental Seat belts Against Trauma
A day after the deadly Air India crash , a copilot withdrew from a scheduled flight even after reporting for duty. His colleagues said the pilot mentioned he was feeling ill, though he did not show any visible physical discomfort. The airline later operated the flight with a separate crew. The June 12 Air India crash killed hundreds and sent shockwaves that are still reverberating through the aviation industry. Flight crews have the added responsibility of dealing with their own grief and fears, while also calming the flying public. 'I could not help but put myself in the shoes of those on board,' a senior pilot wrote in an internal chat group of an airline. 'As someone who is always in transit — boarding flights, chasing on-time performance — (I felt) it could have been any one of us.' 'What struck me hardest was not the crash alone but the quiet, overlooked reality of how we often leave home. No hugs. No pause. No proper goodbye. Just a rush out the door, a distracted wave, or, worse, leaving after a fight or silence. Today reminded me how fragile it all is. And how precious,' the pilot wrote. His line of thought is a common refrain among airline crews in India. Pilots and flight attendants are highly-trained professionals, with sound physical fitness and mental alertness being their core job criteria. However, for many of them, it is still difficult to accept the Air India tragedy, more so due to Boeing 787's enviable safety record. The Dreamliner clocked millions of flying hours across airlines globally and never saw a fatal crash prior to Ahmedabad. The plane has multiple inbuilt redundancies for critical components. Especially then, for people who trust technology thousands of feet up in the air, the helplessness of the Ahmedabad crew strikes deep. A grainy video captured on a smartphone by a student showed the ill-fated aircraft taking off, then descending before exploding into a ball of fire. With a probe into the accident in its initial phase, various theories suggest dual engine failure to possible sabotage. 'We are taught that a double-engine failure is kind of impossible, if not caused by external factors like a bird hit,' said a pilot who operates an aircraft similar to the 787. '(But now) though we are highly trained, doubt starts creeping into the mind; it's natural. Following the crash, pilots have become extra cautious about minute faults in an aircraft, unlike before, he said. 'I am questioning the status of every item in the minimum equipment list (MEL),' the pilot said. MEL specifies which equipment can be inoperative on an aircraft while still allowing it to operate safely. A double engine failure occurring seconds after take-off, when the plane was only several hundred feet off the ground, would have left the two pilots without any time to respond to the emergency. 'Go to the stopwatch on your smartphone. Press start. Wait for 32 seconds. Press stop. Now ask yourself: What could you do in that time? Brush your teeth? Have a shower? Wear your clothes? Have a cup of coffee? None of the above. That is the time the pilots of AI 171 got,' read a message on a pilot's social media group. Continuous coverage on television and social media is further fuelling panic, multiple airline crews told ET, requesting for factual reporting. 'The media starts to conduct parallel trials with ill-informed guests making unsubstantiated accusations. This leads to severe mental trauma and becomes a stumbling block in their performance,' Parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a letter to civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, urging guidelines for reporting aviation accidents. Airlines are also rushing to respond to the new crisis while hoping that it would be self-healing. Air India has established a dedicated 'peer group' to provide mental health support and counselling for crew. Comprising former Air Force officers and experienced female pilots, the group offers pre-flight counselling and emotional support. 'There is no uniform fix to this. It will depend on his/her mental strength on how quickly they can cope with it,' an airline executive said. As airline crews cope with the tragedy and lean on improved mental health resources, they are also returning to the skies. 'When something like this happens, it makes it almost impossible not to feel the weight of the souls on board. I was scared but since I was already at the airport, I decided to be the strength to my team. I check on my colleagues after work and we reassure each other,' said a flight attendant working for Air India. Family members too are burying their fears under hope. 'I used to be very proud of that crisp white shirt but now my heart feels heavy when either of them wears that uniform,' said a mother of two pilot sons. 'Have we chosen a dangerous profession for our sons, I sometimes think. But my husband tells me, there were 29 medical students in the college who also died. Did they choose the wrong profession?'
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Economic Times
Air crews fasten mental seatbelts against trauma
Troubling Theories Live Events No Single Answer Yet (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A day after the deadly Air India crash , a copilot withdrew from a scheduled flight even after reporting for duty. His colleagues said the pilot mentioned he was feeling ill, though he did not show any visible physical discomfort. The airline later operated the flight with a separate June 12 Air India crash killed hundreds and sent shockwaves that are still reverberating through the aviation industry. Flight crews have the added responsibility of dealing with their own grief and fears, while also calming the flying public.'I could not help but put myself in the shoes of those on board,' a senior pilot wrote in an internal chat group of an airline. 'As someone who is always in transit — boarding flights, chasing on-time performance — (I felt) it could have been any one of us.''What struck me hardest was not the crash alone but the quiet, overlooked reality of how we often leave home. No hugs. No pause. No proper goodbye. Just a rush out the door, a distracted wave, or, worse, leaving after a fight or silence. Today reminded me how fragile it all is. And how precious,' the pilot line of thought is a common refrain among airline crews in and flight attendants are highly-trained professionals, with sound physical fitness and mental alertness being their core job criteria. However, for many of them, it is still difficult to accept the Air India tragedy, more so due to Boeing 787's enviable safety Dreamliner clocked millions of flying hours across airlines globally and never saw a fatal crash prior to Ahmedabad. The plane has multiple inbuilt redundancies for critical then, for people who trust technology thousands of feet up in the air, the helplessness of the Ahmedabad crew strikes deep.A grainy video captured on a smartphone by a student showed the ill-fated aircraft taking off, then descending before exploding into a ball of a probe into the accident in its initial phase, various theories suggest dual engine failure to possible sabotage.'We are taught that a double-engine failure is kind of impossible, if not caused by external factors like a bird hit,' said a pilot who operates an aircraft similar to the 787. '(But now) though we are highly trained, doubt starts creeping into the mind; it's the crash, pilots have become extra cautious about minute faults in an aircraft, unlike before, he said. 'I am questioning the status of every item in the minimum equipment list (MEL),' the pilot said. MEL specifies which equipment can be inoperative on an aircraft while still allowing it to operate safely.A double engine failure occurring seconds after take-off, when the plane was only several hundred feet off the ground, would have left the two pilots without any time to respond to the emergency.'Go to the stopwatch on your smartphone. Press start. Wait for 32 seconds. Press stop. Now ask yourself: What could you do in that time? Brush your teeth? Have a shower? Wear your clothes? Have a cup of coffee? None of the above. That is the time the pilots of AI 171 got,' read a message on a pilot's social media coverage on television and social media is further fuelling panic, multiple airline crews told ET, requesting for factual reporting.'The media starts to conduct parallel trials with ill-informed guests making unsubstantiated accusations. This leads to severe mental trauma and becomes a stumbling block in their performance,' Parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a letter to civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, urging guidelines for reporting aviation are also rushing to respond to the new crisis while hoping that it would be self-healing. Air India has established a dedicated 'peer group' to provide mental health support and counselling for crew. Comprising former Air Force officers and experienced female pilots, the group offers pre-flight counselling and emotional support.'There is no uniform fix to this. It will depend on his/her mental strength on how quickly they can cope with it,' an airline executive airline crews cope with the tragedy and lean on improved mental health resources, they are also returning to the skies. 'When something like this happens, it makes it almost impossible not to feel the weight of the souls on board. I was scared but since I was already at the airport, I decided to be the strength to my team. I check on my colleagues after work and we reassure each other,' said a flight attendant working for Air members too are burying their fears under hope. 'I used to be very proud of that crisp white shirt but now my heart feels heavy when either of them wears that uniform,' said a mother of two pilot sons. 'Have we chosen a dangerous profession for our sons, I sometimes think. But my husband tells me, there were 29 medical students in the college who also died. Did they choose the wrong profession?'
