Air India crash death toll climbs to 270 as victim identification continues
NEW DELHI: The death toll from the crash of an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London has risen to 270, as bodies, including those of people killed on the ground, continue to be identified.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat state on Thursday.
It was carrying 242 people — 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members. Only one person, a British national sitting in an emergency exit seat, survived the crash.
It remains unclear how many people were killed on the ground as the aircraft fell on B.J. Medical College and a hostel for students and resident doctors of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti, president of the Junior Doctors' Association at the college, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the hospital had received the bodies of 270 victims.
The process of matching DNA samples to confirm their identities is underway.
Dr. Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the hospital, told the media on Sunday that only 14 bodies had been handed over to their next of kin.
'In the Ahmedabad plane tragedy, the DNA samples of 32 deceased individuals have been matched,' the hospital said in a statement.
'The mortal remains of the deceased whose DNA samples have been matched are being respectfully handed over to their families.'
Dr. Sarbari Dutta, secretary general of the Indian Medical Association, told Arab News that at least four medical students were confirmed to have been killed when the plane crashed into the college compound.
'More than 20 students are admitted in the hospital, some of them with very severe injuries,' she said, adding that the actual number of casualties would 'definitely' be higher.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Saturday, after the aircraft's digital flight data recorder, or black box, had been found at the site of the crash, that an investigation report would be issued within three months.
'The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also given an order to do extended surveillance for the (Boeing) 787 planes,' he said.
'There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that eight have already been inspected and with immediate urgency. All of them are going to be done.'
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Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
A Plane Crashed on a Doctors' Hostel in India. Those Who Survived Began Treating the Injured
Navin Chaudhary had just begun eating his meal when a loud bang startled him. He turned back to see a massive fire taking over the dining area where he and other trainee doctors had assembled for lunch. The blaze approaching him, he rushed toward a window and jumped. From the ground looking upward, the sight of the Air India plane's tail cone hanging from the burning building propelled Chaudhary and fellow medical students into action. 'There was fire, and many were injured,' Chaudhary said. He said he felt lucky to survive but knew he had a task at hand. He rushed to the hospital's intensive care unit where the injured, most of whom had burns, were wheeled in on stretchers. 'I felt that as a doctor I could save someone's life,' he said. 'I was safe. So I thought whatever I can do, I should.' At least 270 died when the Air India flight crashed into the campus of a medical college in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff on Thursday. Only one passenger among the 242 aboard survived. At least 29 others on the ground, including five medical students inside the hostel, were also killed. Many believe that the death toll would have been higher if it had not been for the intervention of the trainee doctors and students who emerged from the smoldering hostel and rushed to save their colleagues. Akshay Zala, a senior medical student, said the crash felt like an earthquake. 'I could hardly see anything as thick plumes of smoke and dust engulfed everything. I was barely able to breathe,' he said. Zala rushed to safety, running through dust and smoke. He cleaned and bandaged a wound on his left leg, then joined others at the medical college's trauma center to treat the injured. On Monday, the crash site teemed with excavators and workers clearing the debris. Officials inspected the building in search of clues that could enable the investigators to figure out what led to the tragedy. Barely a kilometer (less than a mile) away, trainee doctors who survived one of India's worst aviation disasters were still working to identify the victims through DNA testing. Indian authorities have so far handed over the remains of 47 victims. The bodies of 92 others have also been identified through DNA matching and will be transferred to relatives soon. College dean Minakshi Parikh said that many of the doctors who pulled their colleagues out of the debris later that day went back to their duties to save as many lives as they could. 'They did that, and that spirit has continued till this moment,' Parikh said. Images of the hostel's dining area shortly after the crash showed parts of the aircraft and pieces of luggage strewn on the floor. Dining plates still containing food lay on the few dusty tables that were left intact by the impact. 'So that is human nature, isn't it? When our own people are injured, our first response is to help them,' Parikh said. 'So the doctors who managed to escape … the first thing that they did was they went back in and dug out their colleagues who were trapped inside. They might not even have survived because the rescue teams take time coming,' she added.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Air India crash death toll climbs to 270 as victim identification continues
NEW DELHI: The death toll from the crash of an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London has risen to 270, as bodies, including those of people killed on the ground, continue to be identified. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat state on Thursday. It was carrying 242 people — 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members. Only one person, a British national sitting in an emergency exit seat, survived the crash. It remains unclear how many people were killed on the ground as the aircraft fell on B.J. Medical College and a hostel for students and resident doctors of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, president of the Junior Doctors' Association at the college, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the hospital had received the bodies of 270 victims. The process of matching DNA samples to confirm their identities is underway. Dr. Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the hospital, told the media on Sunday that only 14 bodies had been handed over to their next of kin. 'In the Ahmedabad plane tragedy, the DNA samples of 32 deceased individuals have been matched,' the hospital said in a statement. 'The mortal remains of the deceased whose DNA samples have been matched are being respectfully handed over to their families.' Dr. Sarbari Dutta, secretary general of the Indian Medical Association, told Arab News that at least four medical students were confirmed to have been killed when the plane crashed into the college compound. 'More than 20 students are admitted in the hospital, some of them with very severe injuries,' she said, adding that the actual number of casualties would 'definitely' be higher. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Saturday, after the aircraft's digital flight data recorder, or black box, had been found at the site of the crash, that an investigation report would be issued within three months. 'The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also given an order to do extended surveillance for the (Boeing) 787 planes,' he said. 'There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that eight have already been inspected and with immediate urgency. All of them are going to be done.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Single Passenger Survived Air India Crash, Hospital Says
A single passenger survived the fiery crash of an Air India passenger plane on Thursday, according to a doctor at a local hospital. The plane went down shortly after taking off for London with around 240 people on board. The airline has said there were no other survivors. At least one person survived the crash, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The news agency quoted Dr. Shriq M., who works in the trauma ward of the civil hospital in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Part of the plane fell on top of a medical college in Ahmedabad, killing at least five medical students and injuring nearly 50, according to a medical association. It was not immediately clear why the plane crashed. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a widebody, twin-engine plane. This is the first Dreamliner crash since it went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled carrier to private ownership after decades of government control.
