Latest news with #Kinjarapu
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- General
- Gulf Today
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 on 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 on Saturday. Salma Rafiq Memon gestures angrily as she speaks to media personnel while waiting for the bodies of four relatives who died in the Air India plane crash, at a hospital in Ahmedabad. AP Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognisable. 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. Caskets to carry the remains of some of the victims of the Air India plane crash are brought in a vehicle to a hospital in Ahmedabad. AP 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 organisations," 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. Rafiq Memon talks to media outside the DNA sample collection room at a hospital in Ahmedabad. Reuters 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 UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the US 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. Associated Press
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Death toll in Indian plane crash climbs to 270 as search teams find more bodies
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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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 organisations,' 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. Advertisement 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. Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Rishi Lekhi in New Delhi contributed to this report.
NBC News
6 hours ago
- General
- NBC News
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.
The Star
6 hours ago
- General
- The Star
Death toll in Indian plane crash climbs to 270 as search teams find more bodies
A crane lifts the tail of the Air India plane, which crashed on Thursday, from the roof of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, June 14, 2025. -- AP Photo/Ajit Solanki AHMEDABAD, India (AP): 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 organisations," 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. - AP (Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Rishi Lekhi in New Delhi contributed to this report.)
Time of India
9 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Air India plane crash: All Boeing 787s to be inspected; DNA testing of victims being done - key takeaways from Centre's 1st briefing on crash
NEW DELHI: Two days after Air India flight AIC 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board, the civil aviation ministry has launched a sweeping investigation led by the Union home secretary. Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed that DNA testing is underway to identify victims, as the government rushes to support grieving families and tighten safety checks across the country's Boeing 787 fleet. 'The last two days have been very difficult. The accident near Ahmedabad airport has shaken the entire nation,' Kinjarapu said in an emotional address. 'It is heart-wrenching to see the stories of those who lost their lives. My deepest condolences to the families. We are doing everything in our capacity to assist them.' Crash timeline and technical details Flight path & emergency: Flight AIC 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick at 1:39 pm on June 12. Moments after takeoff, it climbed to about 650 feet before rapidly descending. Final transmission: The pilot, Capt Sumit Sabharwal, issued a 'May Day' distress call just seconds into the flight. ATC Ahmedabad lost contact almost immediately. Crash site: The plane crashed at 1:40 pm in Medhaninagar, just 2 km from the runway. 241 people out of 242 - including 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots - were killed. Black box and investigation The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), formed to handle such incidents, recovered the aircraft's black box at 5 pm on June 13. The data, once decoded, is expected to provide crucial insights into what happened in the final moments before the crash. 'We are waiting for the AAIB's full technical report. It will tell us what really went wrong,' the minister said. Safety review and Boeing 787 scrutiny India currently operates 34 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered extended surveillance and technical inspections of all aircraft in the fleet. Eight of the Dreamliners have been inspected so far. The rest will be examined with 'immediate urgency.' 'We maintain strict safety standards, but this incident showed there's a need for deeper scrutiny,' the minister said. DNA testing and victim identification The government has launched a coordinated effort with Gujarat authorities to identify remains through DNA testing. 'Once identification is confirmed, the bodies are being handed over to the respective families. We hope the process finishes soon, but protocols must be followed,' the minister said. Air India has been directed to assist families with travel, documentation, and grief support. 'We are ensuring there is no lapse in process or protocol,' the minister added. Airport operations and response Ahmedabad airport's runway was closed at 2:30 pm after the crash and reopened for limited flights by 5 pm. The minister praised the swift response of emergency and rescue teams on the ground, noting that all concerned departments were working in coordination. High-level committee constituted for parallel probe A second investigation panel has been set up to go beyond technical causes and examine all theories and safety aspects. Chaired by the Union Home Secretary, the panel includes: Secretary, ministry of civil aviation Additional secretary, ministry of home affairs Representative from the Gujarat government State disaster response authority official Ahmedabad police commissioner DG, inspection & safety, Indian Air Force DG, BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) DG, DGCA Special director, Intelligence Bureau Director, Directorate of Forensic Sciences Services The committee has been given a three-month deadline to submit a comprehensive report, including consultation with experts and stakeholders. On-ground response and minister's statement Civil aviation minister visited the crash site personally, along with Gujarat officials. Emergency responders were already deployed and engaged in rescue and debris removal when he arrived. 'The attitude of the Gujarat government, the central government, and our ministry was unified, to act swiftly and decisively,' the minister said. Aircraft history and operational notes The aircraft had just completed a Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad leg prior to the crash. No issues were reported during the earlier sectors. The Dreamliner involved had no reported safety flags before departure. 'This is not just a tragedy for the families; it is a moment of reckoning for the entire aviation ecosystem,' the minister said.
