New Delhi, June 12 -- Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was onboard the London-bound Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad airport, has passed away in the tragic accident. Rupani, 68, was headed to London to meet his family.

"Our leader and former Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, was going (to London) to meet his family. He is also a victim of this incident. May his soul rest in peace. This is a big loss for the BJP," Union Minister CR Patil told news agency PTI.

Rupani, 68, was among the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar moments after take-off on Thursday afternoon.

Rupani, the 16th chief minister of Guj...