Death toll in Indian plane crash climbs to 270 as search teams find more bodies
Search and recovery teams continued scouring the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters for a third day after the Air India flight fell from the sky and killed at least 270 people in Gujarat state, officials said Saturday.
The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived.
Recovery teams working until late Friday found at least 25 more bodies in the debris, officials said.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad told The Associated Press the facility had received 270 bodies, adding that the lone surviving passenger was still under observation for some of his wounds.
'He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon,' Gameti said Saturday.
Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognizable.
Some relatives expressed frustration Saturday that the process was taking too long. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process.
'Where are my children? Did you recover them?' asked Rafiq Abdullah, whose nephew, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were on the flight. 'I will have to ask questions. Government is not answering these questions.'
Another relative persistently asked hospital staff when his relative's body would be handed over to the family for last rites.
'Give us the body,' the relative insisted.
Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government says it has formed a high-level, multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes leading to the crash.
The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future and 'will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organizations,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Authorities have begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday in New Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash.
Eight of the 34 Dreamliner aircraft in India have already undergone inspection, Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with 'immediate urgency.'
The government is eagerly awaiting results of the crash investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and all necessary steps will be taken without hesitation, Kinjarapu said.
Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, which was recovered from a rooftop near the crash site and likely will lead to clues about the cause of the accident.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it had started working with 'full force' to extract the data.
The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said investigators should be able to answer some important questions about what caused the crash as soon as next week as long as the flight data recorder is in good shape.
Investigators likely are looking at whether wing flaps were set correctly, the engine lost power, alarms were going off inside the cockpit and if the plane's crew correctly logged information about the hot temperature outside and the weight of the fuel and passengers, Guzzetti said.
Mistakes in the data could result in the wing flaps being set incorrectly, he said.
Thursday's Air India crash involved a 12-year-old Boeing 787. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft.
There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash
For Mistry Jignesh, 72 hours feel like an Thursday evening, Mr Jignesh and his family have been doing the rounds of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, trying to find details of his 22-year-old niece - one of the 242 passengers that died in an Air India plane crash earlier that had been telling him they would return his niece's body in the 72 hours normally required to complete DNA matching - which end on on Saturday, he was told that it might take longer as officials are still searching for bodies from the site of the crash, he claimed."When people are still missing, how can they possibly complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece's remains have not even been found? The wait is killing us," he have refused to comment on Mr Jignesh's claim, but a fire department officer and a police official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity that a search for remains of the passengers is still under Patel, additional superintendent of the Civil Hospital, said on Saturday that 11 victims had been identified so far based on their DNA samples, adding that their families had been informed. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was on its way to London's Gatwick Airport, erupted in a fireball merely seconds after it took off from Ahmedabad's main airport, in what has been India's worst aviation one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived. At least eight others were killed as the plane struck the hostel of a medical college when it came down on a densely populated residential area near the have moved swiftly Indian government has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident and has ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to be inspected. While the reason of the crash remains unknown, the country's aviation authority has said it is looking into all possible causes for the accident, also bringing in foreign aviation experts to assist with the Verify on what could have caused the crashEverything we know so far about flight AI171Analysis: What does this mean for Boeing?Back at the hospital, doctors are racing to complete the DNA sampling of the victims so that they can start returning bodies to their for families like Mr Jignesh's, time passes in dragging have talked about how the process of identifying bodies has been extremely challenging - and is being carried out in small batches - as most of the remains have been charred beyond recognition."There is no scope for mistakes here - we have to ensure that every family receives the right body," said HP Sanghvi, the director of Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar city. "But DNA identification is a time-consuming process. Besides, given the scale of the disaster, there is also a possibility that the DNA of several passengers was damaged due to the extremely high temperature of the blast."Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist at the hospital, told reporters that his team has been trying to collect dental records from charred bodies, as that might be the only source of DNA left. The wait has been beyond agonising for the families, many of whom refused to speak to the media, saying they just want to go back home with "whatever is left of their loved ones"."We are in no condition to say anything. Words fail us right now," a woman, who was waiting with three members of her family outside the autopsy room, told the BBC impatiently, as she quickly slipped into her details continue to emerge, who are the victims?British man is only passenger to survive India plane crashMeanwhile, officials at the BJ Medical College have started to vacate several wards of the hostel, near which the plane struck. So far, four wards - including the hostel canteen, the site of the crash - have been completely emptied students living in other nearby wings of the hostel have also begun to leave."In one of the wards, there are just three people left - everyone else has gone back to their homes for now. They will leave soon too, but until then, they are sitting there, all alone, haunted by the memory of what has happened," their friend, who is also a student at the college and wanted to stay anonymous, between the college and hospital - in the vast expanse of this city of more than seven million people - there are many others who also are reeling from the last Kartik Kalawadia heard of his brother Mahesh was on Thursday, some 30 minutes before the was a phone call Mahesh made to his wife: "I am coming home," he said to never heard from him again.A music producer in the Gujarati film industry, Mahesh had been on his way back home from work that day and was crossing the area when the plane hurtled down and crashed into the Kalawadia told the BBC that his brother's last location before his phone became unreachable was just a few hundred metres away from BJ Medical family has since filed a police complaint and has made countless visits to the Civil Hospital. They have found nothing so far."The hospital told us they have no record of my brother. We also tried tracing his scooter, but nothing came of that either," Mr Kalawadia said."It's like he vanished into thin air." At a press conference on Saturday, Civil Aviation Secretary SK Sinha admitted that the last two days had been "very hard", but assured the investigation was proceeding smoothly and in the right Mr Kalawadia wondered if any of these inquires - into the plane crash, the victims and beyond - would help him find his brother, dead or alive."We don't know the answer, but we can hope it's a positive one, I guess," he at the Civil Hospital, the wait continues to haunt the BBC last met Imtiyaz Ali Sayed over Thursday night, he was still in denial that his family - his brother Javed along with his wife and two children - could have died in the on Saturday, he seemed closer to "accepting the truth"."With just a few hours left, we are now trying to decide what will it be: will we bury him here, or in the UK, where his wife's family lives," he said."To me, it makes no difference you know?" he continued, "because he's gone, from ashes to dust and back to God."
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Loved ones hail Britons feared dead in Air India plane crash as airline confirms death toll
There were 53 Britons on the flight when it went down. Tributes have been paid to Britons feared dead after a Gatwick-bound plane crashed in India, including two wellness advocates and a couple with a four-year-old daughter. 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. The airline said the plane was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. Here we look at what is known so far about some of the Britons thought to have died. Jamie and Fiongal The couple, who ran a spiritual wellness centre, are said to be among the dead. The pair laughed and joked as they filmed a video of themselves at the airport before taking off. Mr Greenlaw appeared on ITV's This Morning earlier this year to talk about wellness. Former editor of the show Martin Frizell praised his "vibrancy" and "enthusiasm". In an Instagram post, he said: "So so sad to hear that Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and his partner are reported to be among the passengers and crew killed today on board the Air India flight bound for Gatwick. I remember his visit to the studio in January, he was passionate about auras and although I'm a sceptical sort, his vibrancy and sheer enthusiasm won folk over." Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa The family of three from Gloucester were "widely loved and deeply respected", their family said in statement issued through their Imam. Ms Vorajee volunteered at a local Islamic school and was also a director for an organisation promoting understanding of the religion, Imam Abdullah Samad said. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm called Iceberg Recruitment Services which had a branch in Ahmedabad, India, according to the company's website. Imam Abdullah Samad said: "This young family was incredibly close-knit - devoted parents and their beautiful young daughter. "They gave their time and energy to awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts, always guided by a strong sense of responsibility to help others. They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness, and their daughter's bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them. She was a ray of sunshine in her school and they were a pillar of strength in our lives." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Raxa Modha, Rudra Modha and K Mistri Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, announced the deaths of three people from his community. He said: "Among those lost were Raxa Modha, infant Rudra Modha, and Ms K Mistri, all from our Wellingborough community. "I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking event. May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief." Ajay Kumar Ramesh Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor of the crash. His older brother Ajay was also reportedly on the flight. Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, Jay, a relative of the brothers, said Vishwash spoke to his father after the crash and asked after his brother. Jay told PA: "After the crash he spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying, 'Where's Ajay'?" Dr Prateek Joshi and family Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at the Royal Derby Hospital, was on the Air India flight with his family, Derby Hindu Temple said. Dr Joshi had moved to Derby from India in 2021, a colleague who worked closely with him said. Dr Rajeev Singh said: "He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District. "He touched the lives of so many people, both through his clinical work and as a colleague and friend to many. It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way." Mariam and Javed Ali Syed and their two children Mariam and Javed Ali Syed and their two children, five-year-old Zayn and four-year-old Amani, were on the flight returning from a holiday in India, Ms Ali Syed's sister-in-law told the Telegraph. Mr Ali Syed is reported to have worked at a hotel in London while Ms Ali Syed had reportedly worked for Harrods for a decade. Speaking to the Telegraph about the couple's young children, Yasmine Hassan said: "They are so small, they are five and four. And it's just thinking how scared they must have been." Adam and Hasina Taju, and their son-in-law Altafhusen Patel Adam Taju, 72 and his wife Hasina, 70, were flying with their son-in-law Altafhusen Patel, 51, the couple's granddaughter told the BBC. Ammaarah Taju, from Blackburn, Lancashire, told the broadcaster of her shock and disbelief. Sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi Sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, both in their early 20s, were returning home to London on the Air India flight after surprising their grandmother for her birthday. Speaking to the PA news agency, Ishan Baxi, a cousin who lives in Ahmedabad, said both women had an "amazing aura" and wanted to "roam the world". "They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world like tension-free along with the parents, and they had proclivity towards modernisation without changing traditional values," he said. Both women knew "what is right and what is wrong", Mr Baxi added. "Right now no one is able to come (to) terms because they both came here just to celebrate grandma's birthday. He said: "But, see, the tragedy - they came, they celebrated and they both left the world, everything is vanished right in front of our eyes. I am unable to control my tears even now also just because I was close to them, you just imagine what emotions parents are going through right now. "Think about guilt the grandma would feel right now. I just want God to bless those souls, all dreams, promises, aspirations vanished in seconds." Heer worked a product manager and "loved statistics and finance", while Dhir was a fashion designer who had studied in Paris, their cousin said. Arjun Patoliya Two children were orphaned when Arjun Patoliya was killed in the Air India plane crash after travelling to scatter his wife's ashes in her homeland, according to a fundraiser for the family. Mr Patoliya, 37, was killed 18 days after his wife Bharti had died from cancer, the GoFundMe page to support their daughters, aged four and eight, said. The Briton had travelled to Gujarat to fulfil his wife's "final wish". By Saturday afternoon more than #370,000 had been raised to help the girls. The fundraiser, organised by Mr Patoliya's colleague, said: "Their mother, Bharti Patoliya, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. "Fulfilling her final wish, her husband Arjun Patoliya travelled to India to scatter her ashes in her homeland in Gujarat." It added: "Arjun left to bid farewell to his wife, never returned to the children they both raised. "Now, these two beautiful young girls have been left without parents - their world turned upside down in just over two weeks." Mr Patoliya worked at furniture manufacturer Inspired Elements Ltd, based in Stanmore, north-west London. Panna Nagar Former nursery headteacher and Ofsted inspector Panna Nagar held her family together "with her warmth and wisdom", her grandchildren have said. A social media post signed from her four grandchildren said: "Her work in education and numerous charities brought her around the world, her legacy is undoubtedly immense and she touched so many lives with her passion. "She created an international community through her care for people and a desire to bring education to everyone." Ms Nagar headed Northfleet Nursery School in Gravesend, Kent, for 15 years from 2005. "Her impact will be remembered indefinitely. She poured an endless amount of love, passion and care into everything that she did", her grandchildren said. "Nani was the heart of the family, she held us together with her warmth and wisdom. Her house was never quiet, it was always filled with laughter, good food and Maya's barks! As her grandchildren she was everything to us, she taught us that our ambitions and passions are so important, that the time we have together is sacred and precious. "She shaped our lives in more ways than we can count and she will be sorely missed." Northfleet Nursery School said Ms Nagar was "more than just an educator she was a guiding light, an inspiration and a champion for every child and staff member lucky enough to walk through her doors". Master Mohammed Adnan Master Mohammed Adnan had a wife and 11-month-old baby, the mosque he worshipped at has said. The Cann Hall Deen & Education Trust, east London, posted on social media: "It is with great grief that we share the news that one of our own worshippers, Master Mohammed Adnan, was aboard the ill-fated flight. Our sincerest condolences are extended to his wife and their 11-month-old baby." Kalyani and Gaurav Brahmbhatt Trupti Telrandhe told BBC News she has been "deeply saddened" after learning her close friends Kalyani and Gaurav Brahmbhatt were onboard. Gaurav and her husband Amul spent five years working together at a company in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, she said. Ms Telrandhe added: "They were extremely hard-working and very friendly, fun-loving, always motivated us to have big dreams." Manju Mahesh Patel Manju Mahesh Patel, 79, had been staying in Ahmedabad to carry out charity work at a temple and was due to return home to the UK on Thursday. Her son, Chirag Mahesh Patel, told Sky News she was sitting in seat 12D - just one row behind the only survivor of the crash - and that he would relive her final moments "to the day I die". "She had ultimate faith ... in times of stress she would always say God's name," he said. "So I know that upon take-off, she was saying his name." Mr Patel described his mother as a strong woman who "really loved her family" and said she had packed her suitcase with lollipops and special crisps for her grandchildren, aged six and 15. "She was so looking forward to seeing us," he said. "It's unimaginable, even in my worst nightmare."
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Son of Air India victim missed last call moments before mother boarded plane
The son of an Air India crash victim missed the last phone call from his mother before she boarded the flight in Ahmedabad. Chirag Mahesh Patel revealed he had been called by Manju Mahesh Patel, 79, at 4am. Ms Patel had been seated in 12D on Flight AI171 as it crashed moments after taking off on Thursday. She was in the next row from British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, who was seated in 11A, and escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage. Mr Patel, in an interview with Sky News, said he hoped his mother's death was painless. 'To the day I die I will think, 'What were her last moments?'' he said. In the interview he pointed to a framed family photograph of Ms Patel at the family home and reflected on her life. He said: 'I want to remember mum like this. I don't want to have to go and identify a burnt corpse, your own parent. How does someone, how do you ever get over that? That will be with me, that's with me for life.' She had been devoting her time in Ahmedabad to carrying out charity work at a temple for a few months and her son had been due to meet her at Gatwick Airport. Mr Patel described his mother as 'very strong' and a woman 'who really loved her family' and added: 'The thing about my mum is her bond with her faith. It's unbreakable. 'She had ultimate faith… and in times of stress she would always say God's name… So, I know that upon take-off, I know that she was saying his name. It's unimaginable even in my worst nightmare.' More than 270 people were killed following the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash, 241 on the plane. The co-pilot of Air India may have made a fatal error, causing the crash, Captain Steve Scheibner, an aviation expert, later claimed. Mr Patel and his wife, who are due to fly to India on Saturday night to give a DNA sample to help identify his mother's remains, said he felt 'neglected' by Air India as they would only offer him a flight but not accommodation leading him to opt to travel with another airline. Air India said in a statement: 'Air India stands in solidarity with the families of the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the recent accident. 'Our teams on the ground are doing everything possible to extend care and support during this incredibly difficult time. 'As part of our continued efforts, Air India will be providing an interim payment of ₹25 lakh or approximately £21,000 each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs. 'This is in addition to the ₹1 crore or approximately £85,000 support already announced by Tata Sons. All of us at Air India are deeply saddened by this loss.'
