A Canadian man revealed his dentist wife as one of the victims of the Air India crash on Thursday.
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London tragically crashed into a bustling suburb shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, resulting in the loss of all but one of its passengers.
Nirali Patel was identified as the lone Canadian national on board the flight, reported CTV News.
Her husband told The Canadian Press that he was in the process of booking a flight for himself and their one-year-old child to India.
Patel, a resident of Etobicoke, worked at a dental clinic in Mississauga. She obtained her dental degree in India in 2016 and became licensed in Canada in 2019, as per the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted about the crash, sending his condolences to families of those on board.
‘Devastated to learn of the crash of a London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad, carrying 242 passengers — including one Canadian,’ he said.
“My thoughts are with the families of those aboard. Canada’s transportation officials are in close communication with counterparts, and I am getting regular updates as the response to this tragedy develops.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also confirmed the lone Canadian victim was from his province.
Nirali Patel (pictured) was identified as the lone Canadian national on board the London-bound flight
The London-bound plane carrying 242 passengers crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat
‘I’m saddened to learn that a Canadian from Mississauga, Ontario was among those lost in the tragic Air India crash near Ahmedabad,’ he said on X.
‘On behalf of the people of Ontario, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of every victim. We are keeping you in our thoughts during this difficult time.
The Gatwick-bound plane carrying 242 passengers, including 53 British nationals, crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner careened back down to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway.
Terrifying CCTV footage shows the plane appear to lose control before it starts rapidly descending with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed.
All but one person aboard Air India Flight 171 are feared to have died in the tragedy.
British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the sole survivor of the crash after making an incredible escape.
Her husband told The Canadian Press that he was in the process of booking a flight for himself and their one-year-old child to India
Patel, who lived in Etobicoke, worked at a dental clinic in Mississauga. She got her dental degree in India in 2016 and received her license in Canada in 2019
Astonishing footage showed the passenger with visible injuries hobbling away from the scene of the crash. He reportedly sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet.
The passenger, who was in seat 11A when the plane came down in a residential area of Gujarat, recalled: ‘Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.’
‘When I got up, there were bodies all around me,’ he told local media. ‘I was scared. I stood up and ran.
‘There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.’
The pilot of the Air India flight frantically warned the plane was ‘losing power’ just moments before it crashed into a building.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, desperately cried ‘Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift’ before the aircraft went down and hit a residential property.
Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard flight AI171 died in the crash.
