Air India Crash: One survivor found as 241 feared dead
In one of India’s worst aviation disasters, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, leaving 241 feared dead.
Authorities confirmed that a single passenger has miraculously survived the crash and is undergoing treatment in hospital.
According to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, the lone survivor was seated in 11A and is currently receiving medical care. “One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment. We cannot confirm the final death toll yet, as rescue operations are still ongoing,” he told ANI.
According to BBC, Ahmedabad's police chief said that 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site. It's not known if all 204 were on the plane, or if some were on the ground when the plane crashed.
The ill-fated Flight 171 was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport with 232 passengers and 10 crew members on board, including 53 British nationals and 11 children. The aircraft crashed into a residential building in the city’s outskirts and burst into flames, sending plumes of thick smoke over the densely populated area.
The plane slammed into a hostel building housing medical students, killing at least five students on the ground, reports Indian Express. Footage from the crash site shows mangled debris lodged in the dining area of the hostel, with untouched food still visible on some of the plates.