India Plane Crash Leaves 279 Dead & Families Shattered
INDIA PLANE CRASH – The death toll from the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has risen to 279, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent history.
Ahmedabad, India remains in mourning as the death toll from Thursday’s devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad climbs to 279, making it one of the deadliest air tragedies in decades.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, issued a mayday call shortly before crashing into a residential area around midday. The impact caused a massive explosion, engulfing homes in flames and leaving widespread destruction. Among the fatalities were at least 38 individuals on the ground.
On Saturday, authorities confirmed the recovery of 279 bodies, with police and forensic teams continuing the painstaking task of identification. Families of the victims, many distraught and in shock, have been providing DNA samples to assist in the process. Some relatives had to fly into Ahmedabad to aid in the identification of their loved ones.
“There is nothing,” said a tearful Anil Patel, whose son and daughter-in-law were among the passengers. “Whatever the gods wanted has happened.”
Air India reported that those on board included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, along with 12 crew members. Victims ranged from a prominent politician to a young tea vendor, painting a tragic picture of lives lost across different walks of life.
Miraculously, one man survived. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, recounted his near-death experience from a hospital bed: “Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive.”
Investigators have recovered one of the plane’s black boxes, a flight data recorder, which Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said would “significantly aid” the investigation. Forensic teams are continuing their search for the second black box to determine why the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, barely reaching 100 meters in altitude.
Boeing has stated it is in contact with Air India and is “ready to support them” in the investigation. The incident marks the first fatal crash involving a 787 Dreamliner, according to a source close to the case.