Indian medical professionals report the recovery of 270 bodies from Thursday’s devastating plane crash site in Ahmedabad. The London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff, resulting in the tragic loss of nearly all 242 passengers and crew. A 40-year-old British man is the sole survivor.
Authorities are diligently working to determine the number of ground casualties and are meticulously matching DNA samples to identify the victims. Memorial services honoring the deceased are being held across India and the UK.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), supported by US and UK teams, is leading the investigation into the crash’s cause. A black box was recovered on Friday, which India’s civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, stated will significantly aid the inquiry.
Less than a minute after departing Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and crashed into a doctors’ quarters at BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital. On Saturday, Dr. Dhaval Gameti, President of the college’s Junior Doctors’ Association, confirmed the hospital’s receipt of 270 victims’ remains.
Of these, 241 are believed to be passengers and crew from Flight AI171. Over thirty victims have been formally identified through DNA analysis. Flightradar24 data indicates the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, an 11-year-old aircraft, had completed 25 Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flights in the past two years.
In response, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mandated additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet as a preventative measure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and hospital on Friday, meeting with survivors, including sole survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh, expressing the nation’s prayers for their recovery. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also visited the site, describing it as deeply moving.
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