Bhutan King, Queen and fourth Druk Gyalpo attend prayer ceremony in memory of Air India plane crash victims

The committee will assess the emergency response of the various stakeholders, including rescue operations and coordination among them.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, his father, and Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck attended the prayer ceremony here on Saturday in memory of the victims of the plane crash in Ahmedabad and offered condolences to the people of India.

The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony, according to the statement released by Bhutan King Wangchuk.

In a statement shared on Facebook, King Wangchuck stated, “14 June 2025: A special prayer ceremony was held at the Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichodzong in memory of the precious lives lost in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. His Majesty The King, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the prayer ceremony and lit a thousand butter lamps.”

“The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony. Their Majesties have conveyed heartfelt condolences to the government and people of India,” he added.

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The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday.

As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm (IST) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.

Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has constituted a high-level multi-disciplinary committee for examining the causes that led to the deadly plane crash.

“A High-Level Multi-disciplinary Committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport (London) on June 12, 2025. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future,” an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read.

The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies and will publish its report within three months.

The committee is headed by the Home Secretary and includes representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, and aviation experts.

The committee will assess the emergency response of the various stakeholders, including rescue operations and coordination among them. It will also suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations. (ANI)

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