Donald Trump offers support after Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: ‘Anything we can do, we’re there’

US President Donald Trump has extended condolences and offered assistance to India following a devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday (June 12), which left 241 dead and just one known survivor so far from among the 242 people on board.

In remarks to reporters, Trump called the incident “terrible” and said the United States stands ready to assist.

‘We saw the plane, it looked like it was flying pretty well, it didn’t look like there was an explosion, just looked like the engines maybe lost power,” Trump said at an event at the White House.

“It’s a big country, a strong country, and they’ll handle it, I’m sure, but I let them know that anything we can do will be over there immediately,” Trump said.,” the US President also said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and Indian authorities have launched a high-level probe into the tragedy. Emergency services were rushed to the crash site shortly after the aircraft went down minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

Global condolences pour in

Trump’s statement of support follows a wave of global condolences from world leaders who all expressed grief over the tragedy and solidarity with the people of India.

Dreamliner disaster kills over 200

More than 200 people have died in one of the worst aviation disasters. The aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew — most of them Indian and UK nationals — when it went down in a residential area shortly after departure.

The aircraft was carrying 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, one Canadian, and 12 crew members when it went down shortly after takeoff.

Search teams have recovered the majority of bodies from the wreckage, while Indian authorities continue to comb through the site for evidence and possible survivors. So far, only one known survivor has been confirmed.

US agency to join investigation

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead a team of American investigators traveling to India to support the crash probe. A post on X (formerly Twitter) by the NTSB confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is coordinating efforts with Indian counterparts.

"The NTSB is deploying a team of aviation experts to assist Indian investigators in understanding what went wrong," the agency stated. The FAA added that it is "actively supporting" the process given that the aircraft was US-manufactured.