India sets up high-level panel for Air India plane crash investigation
India's government has set up a high-level committee tasked with investigating the cause of the Air India jet crash. Local media report that the death toll exceeds 270, including people killed on the ground.
The plane bound for London Gatwick Airport carrying 242 people crashed on Thursday shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, a city in the state of Gujarat.
The government on Saturday announced the formation of the committee, which is independent from the investigation by the aviation authorities.
The committee includes officials from the government and the military. It's due to hold its first session on Monday and plans to submit a report in three months.
The plane hit a medical college dormitory. Local medical staff told NHK that many students were having lunch at a cafeteria at the time of the crash.
Four students were reportedly left dead and more than 40 others injured at the facility, with many workers and their family members feared dead.
Only one person out of the 242 people on board the plane was confirmed to have survived.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
13 hours ago
- NHK
India sets up high-level panel for Air India plane crash investigation
India's government has set up a high-level committee tasked with investigating the cause of the Air India jet crash. Local media report that the death toll exceeds 270, including people killed on the ground. The plane bound for London Gatwick Airport carrying 242 people crashed on Thursday shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, a city in the state of Gujarat. The government on Saturday announced the formation of the committee, which is independent from the investigation by the aviation authorities. The committee includes officials from the government and the military. It's due to hold its first session on Monday and plans to submit a report in three months. The plane hit a medical college dormitory. Local medical staff told NHK that many students were having lunch at a cafeteria at the time of the crash. Four students were reportedly left dead and more than 40 others injured at the facility, with many workers and their family members feared dead. Only one person out of the 242 people on board the plane was confirmed to have survived.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Is seat 11A the safest on a plane? Not really, experts say
The survival of a passenger who escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed killing everyone else on board has prompted speculation over whether his seat, 11A, is the safest. Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors. "Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location," said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit. Viswashkumar Ramesh said his 11A seat was near an emergency exit on the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday and he managed to walk out. Sitting next to an exit door might help you survive an accident but it won't always be 11A because aircraft can have dozens of different configurations. "In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day," said Ron Bartsch, chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting. "But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787." A 2007 Popular Mechanics study of crashes since 1971 found that passengers toward the back of the plane had better survival odds. Some experts suggest the wing section offers more stability. Sitting next to an exit door, like Ramesh, gives you an opportunity to be one of the first out of the plane, although some exits don't function after a crash. The opposite side of the plane was blocked by the wall of a building it crashed into, he said. In January of last year, a panel missing several bolts blew off the side of a Boeing 737 Max mid-flight, creating a gaping hole and damaging the adjacent seat. Fortunately, no one was seated there at the time, and the incident resulted in no fatalities. Sitting by the aisle might offer you a speedier escape but it increases the likelihood of being hit in the head by luggage falling out of the overhead bins — a much more common occurrence than major crashes. Paying attention to the safety briefing at the start of your flight — often dismissed as routine — is likely the best way to improve your chances of survival, experts say. Disciplined compliance with cabin crew evacuation advice, including leaving bags behind, was a key factor in saving the lives of all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight in January last year. The Airbus A350 aircraft had collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew members on the smaller aircraft. Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route. A common tip is to count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit — vital knowledge if the cabin fills with smoke and visibility is low. Despite disasters such as the Air India crash, plane designs have evolved to increase the likelihood of passengers walking away from plane crashes on the very rare occasions where they do occur, Fox said. These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits. "There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox said.
NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
More than 240 killed in Air India crash
Indian authorities are trying to determine the cause of the crash of a passenger plane carrying hundreds of people. NHK's New Delhi bureau chief Mitamura Taro provided more details on the plane crash from Ahmedabad.
