Select Language:
- Air India flight crashes near the airport; only one survivor reported.
- Senior official discloses updated death toll anonymously.
- Investigators recover the black box; DNA identification needed for victims.
A police source in India reported on Saturday that 279 bodies have been retrieved from the site where a passenger aircraft crashed into a residential area of Ahmedabad.
This new figure, provided by a senior city official who wished to remain anonymous, updates the earlier total of 265.
The incident marks one of the most devastating aviation disasters of the 21st century.
Air India confirmed that there were 242 individuals on board the flight headed for London’s Gatwick Airport, with only one person surviving.
A minimum of 38 fatalities occurred on the ground when the aircraft struck residential buildings in the vicinity of the airport.
The final count of casualties will be confirmed only after a thorough DNA identification process has been completed.
Among the onboard passengers were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian, alongside 12 crew members.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner sent out a mayday alert just moments before crashing shortly after takeoff, less than 100 meters (330 feet) off the ground.
Investigators retrieved one black box recorder from the crash site on Friday, with forensic teams still searching for the second device.
Boeing, the American manufacturer of the aircraft, stated that it is in contact with Air India and is “prepared to provide support” regarding the incident, which insiders noted is the first known crash involving a 787 Dreamliner.
Add us on ChatGPT
Add us on Perplexity
