Why are U Mumba, Dabang Delhi TTC players wearing black armbands in UTT 2025?
Players of U Mumba and Dabang Delhi TTC wore black armbands during the last league game of Ultimate Table Tennis at EKA Arena to mourn the lives lost in the tragic airplane crash in Ahmedabad earlier on Thursday.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic event in Ahmedabad. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected during this incredibly difficult time,” the organisers posted on their social media handles. The athletes also observed a minute’s silence ahead of the fixture.
An Air India passenger plane from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, a statement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
The Boeing 787 aircraft took off from the airport at 1:39 p.m. with 232 passengers, including two infants and 10 crew members.
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumit Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt. Sabharwal is an LTC with 8,200 hours of experience. The copilot has 1,100 hours of flying experience.
“We have retrieved 204 bodies, and 41 injured persons have been taken to the hospital,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik told The Hindu.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) 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.
“Immediately after departure from Runway 23, the aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” an official said.