More than 200 bodies recovered in plane crash horror as police issue update
The Air India Flight 171 bound for Gatwick Airport was carrying hundreds of people when it hit the ground near Ahmedabad Airport in India
At least 204 bodies have been recovered from the Air India Flight 171 crash site near Ahmedabad Airport, according to the local police chief.
This number may include both people who were on board the plane and those who died on the ground when it crashed.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft was carrying 230 passengers, including 53 Brits, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members, when the aircraft crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad. It is believed that 11 children were also onboard.
The aircraft plummeted towards the ground shortly after take-off around 9.40am this morning (1.40pm local time).
More than 100 bodies were taken to hospitals in the Gujarat area, local health officials confirmed. According to Sky News, some bodies were "beyond recognition" when they were rushed to hospitals across the city.
Ahmedabad's city police commissioner said there doesn't appear to have been any survivors from the plane crash - and that casualties from the area of the city where it went down are also likely.
Meanwhile, five medical students have died and more left injured after the Air India plane crashed into a doctors' hostel this morning, local reports say.
The aircraft smashed through the walls of the canteen at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, Gujarat while students were said to be having their lunch break. Horrific video showed a portion of the aircraft atop the building.
"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
Gatwick Airport has said that a special reception centre is being set up for relatives of passengers on board the Air India flight.
In a post on social media airport bosses said: "We can confirm flight AI171 that was involved in an accident on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today (12 June) was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
'The Boeing 787-8 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members on board. London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided.
"British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000."
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is 'working urgently' with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and that a crisis team has been set up in Delhi and London.
Addressing the House of Commons, Lammy said his thoughts were with all those affected by the 'tragic plane crash.'
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a social media post, said the tragedy in Ahmedabad is 'heartbreaking beyond words.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Evening Standard
9 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
First Tottenham star reacts to Thomas Frank arrival and sends Ange Postecoglou thanks
Air India plane crash LIVE: Sole survivor of Gatwick-bound flight disaster tells of miracle escape - 'I managed to unbuckle myself... and crawled out' Air India crash survivor reveals how he escaped plane: 'I crawled out'
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Actual safest seats to book pinpointed when Boeing deliberately crashed plane
Back in 2012, a film crew carried out a controversial experiment, crashing a Boeing 727-200 on purpose to find out if passengers in certain seats had greater chances of surviving The only passenger who survived Thursday's Air India crash was in seat 11A - and while talking to his family after the tragedy, he admitted he doesn't know how he managed to escape alive. Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was seen walking away from the site of the crash in Ahmedabad, India, and is now recovering in hospital. His window seat was right next to one of the aircraft's emergency exit. Sharing details of the incident last night, he told a medic that around 30 seconds after take-off there was "a loud noise" before the plane split in two, throwing him out, and crashed. His survival has prompted speculation over whether 11A is the safest seat on a plane in case of an accident - but experts say this is difficult to say as circumstances can change and it's impossible to predict survivability based on seat location. Back in 2012, a team working on a documentary carried out a controversial experiment which saw them crash a Boeing plane on purpose in a bid to find out which seats are the safest in the event of such a collision. The experiment, which used an unmanned Boeing 727-200, was conducted in the Sonaran desert in Mexico on April 27, 2012. Several federal permits were needed before the crash could be performed - and Mexican authorities required that the aircraft had to be flown by humans during part of the flight as it was due to fly over a populated area. The airplane, piloted by captain Jim Bob Slocum, took off from Mexicali International Airport with three flight crew and three support jumpers as well as crash dummies with breakable bones, cameras and sensors, and sand bags. The dummies were arranged in three different positions on the plane - one in the classic brace position and wearing a seatbelt, a second with a seatbelt but not in the brace position, and another without seatbelt and not in the brace position. As the flight progressed towards the desert, its occupants parachuted to safety, with former United States Navy pilot Chip Shanle controlling the aircraft remotely after the pilot exited. The plane hit the ground at 140 mph and upon impact, it broke into several sections, with the first 11 rows of seat ripping out as the nose of the plane dipped. Following the crash, the "passengers" in seats at the front of the aircraft were found to be the least likely to survive. Experts also found that the dummy in the brace position with its seat belt fastened would have survived the impact. The second dummy, whose seatbelt was fastened but was not in the brace position, would have survived but suffered severe head injuries. The third unrestrained dummy would have died. Anne Evans, a former investigator at the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, inspected the black box data recorded after the event and said at the time: "It is safer to sit at the back of the aircraft where the flight recorder is. The front is more vulnerable because that often sees higher impact forces. "I would pick somewhere which is comfortable and within a few rows of an emergency exit." The experiment, which was met with controversy as it was carried out just weeks after seven Brits were killed in a plane crash in Nepal, was only the second time a jet has been crash-tested in this way. The plane involved in the first experiment, which was carried out by Nasa in 1984, ended up in a fireball. Generally, aviation experts say that seating towards the back of the plane is safer - and because of this, Vishwash's survival has left many people baffled. CNN safety analyst and former US Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector David Soucie he told CNN how the seat was positioned, "right where the spar of the wing would go under, and it would be a solid place for the aircraft to hit the ground, but as far as survivability above it, that is incredibly surprising." Data from the National Transportation Safety Board in the US, which came from analysis of 20 plane crashes, found that passengers sitting at the back of the plane had the best chance of survival - a 69 per cent chance of staying alive compared to 59 per cent for those at the front. Another study, by Time, analysed crash data and also found that the back of the plane seemed to be the safest place to sit. It also found that passengers sitting in the middle seat tended to have a higher chance of survival, Forbes reported. Seat maps of the aircraft show that Ramesh's seat, 11A, was positioned close to the front of the plane. He was also next to a window - all of which makes his survival statistically unlikely. However, he was placed near an emergency exit, according to the plane seat map, which could have played a key role in his survival. Cary Grant, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's College of Aviation, told Travel + Leisure that "if there was a seat that was safer, being close to an emergency exit increases the chance of getting out quicker."
STV News
31 minutes ago
- STV News
Scottish Indian community in mourning after plane crash kills 241 onboard
Members of the Indian community in Scotland are in mourning after a plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport. Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed on Thursday, in one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who is 40-years-old and from the UK, is believed to be the only survivor. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been in contact with Mr Ramesh to offer consular support, Downing Street said. Investigators trying to establish the cause of the accident have found the black box from the Boeing 787. Communities in Scotland have told STV News of their sadness following the disaster. Tributes were paid at the Hindu Mandir in Glasgow, while at the Mahanji Centre of Benevolence in Huntly, mourners said the disaster feels 'very close to home'. Madhu Jain, Hindu Mandir executive committee, said: 'I was just crying and crying. I could not believe that this has happened. 'I have to repeat myself and keep on listening to the news – this is such a terrible thing that has happened. 'There are lots of friends who were there on the plane.' Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the crash site on Friday, with video footage showing him talking to Mr Ramesh in hospital. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured. Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. A Number 10 spokesman said the FCDO helpline set up as a result of the crash had received 'almost 300″ calls as of Friday morning. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
