An investigation is currently in progress to determine the cause of a tragic incident that occurred on a recent Thursday, where an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff, carrying a total of 242 individuals on board. Confirming this, an Indian official has informed us that both black boxes from the aircraft have been retrieved the following day, one of which is damaged but salvageable.
The ill-fated aircraft, bound for the United Kingdom, crashed into a building in the Meghaninagar locality near Ahmedabad airport, resulting in 246 fatalities, with only one passenger reported to have survived, according to local officials and the airline. This is a significant incident for the Boeing Dreamliner, which had not previously been implicated in any passenger fatality.
“The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 13:38 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft,” the airline said in a statement on social media. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, a Canadian, and seven Portuguese.
The casualties include 241 passengers and crew members, along with five medical students who were inside the medical college and hospital where the aircraft crashed, as per hospital officials. The hospital is also currently treating several other individuals who sustained injuries, some severe, in the crash.
According to reliable sources, the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad confirmed that Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a passenger on the downed Air India flight, survived the crash and is currently under their care. Ramesh provided a harrowing account of his survival, saying, “Everything happened in front of my eyes. I thought I would die.”
There were approximately 125,000 liters of fuel inside the aircraft, with temperatures so high that there was no opportunity to rescue the passengers. To this end, the Indian Home Minister Amit Shah noted that the process of retrieving the bodies is almost complete, and DNA profiling of the family members of the victims will soon be underway.
The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation reported that the plane fell outside the airport perimeter immediately after departure. Video footage from the crash site appears to show the jet disappearing below the tree line, followed seconds later by a sudden fireball and a thick plume of gray smoke.
This tragic incident has prompted an outpouring of grief from the nation, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his sorrow in a social media statement. In response to this tragedy, Air India has announced plans to organize two relief flights for affected families and Air India staff. Tata Group, the multinational conglomerate that owns Air India, has pledged to provide a financial relief package for the families of the victims and cover the medical expenses of those injured.
The investigation into this heartrending incident continues, as authorities seek to understand the cause of the crash, and families mourn their lost loved ones.