Air India Plane Crash: Vikrant Massey Posts Condolences For 'Family Friend' Co-Pilot Clive Kunder

Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey expressed condolences to the victims of the Air India plane crash on Thursday.

In the post he also mentioned the loss of "family friend" Clive Kunder, who was the first officer on the flight.

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed moments after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. Flight AI-171 took off from Runway 23 at 1:38 p.m., but shortly after, it issued a distress call and crashed in the Meghani Nagar area just outside the airport perimeter, exploding into a fiery blaze.

The plane was carrying 242 people — including 232 passengers and 10 crew members. Among the passengers were 169 Indians, 53 British nationals and a Canadian. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said a formal investigation had been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

Home Minister Amit Shah said the task of retrieving the remains of the dead was nearly completed. "DNA testing will be finished soon. The final death toll will be announced once the identification is complete," he said.