Ahmedabad: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is among the 242 people who died in the Air India AI171 plane crash near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. His office earlier in the day said Rupani was severely injured in the crash.

According to the seat chart, Vijay Rupani, 68, was on seat 2D of the Air India flight. He was on his way to London to meet his daughter. Merely two minutes into the ascent, at around 1.40 pm, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed into a medical college hostel building in the Meghani Nagar area, sparking a massive fire and widespread panic in the locality.

Rupani served as the 16th chief minister of the state from 2016 to 2021 for two terms.

He started his career as a student activist associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Rupani was associated with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) since its establishment.