The death toll from the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has risen to 270, with doctors confirming the recovery of bodies from the wreckage that engulfed a residential area near the city’s airport.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London, crashed less than a minute after takeoff on Thursday, slamming into accommodation buildings at BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital. Only one person, a 40-year-old British man, survived the crash. All other 241 passengers and crew on board perished.
Indian officials say the full death count includes casualties from the ground, though the exact number of people killed in the residential complex remains unclear as authorities work to identify bodies through DNA testing.
Vigils in memory of the victims have been held across Ahmedabad and in several UK cities, reflecting the international toll of the tragedy. Family members of the deceased continue to gather at hospitals and grief support centers, awaiting news and identification updates.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the probe, supported by aviation experts from the U.S. and U.K. The aircraft’s black box was recovered on Friday, offering a key piece of evidence in determining the cause of the crash.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said the black box data would “significantly aid” the investigation. Meanwhile, India’s aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on all Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft operated by Air India as a precautionary measure.
The doomed flight, AI171, had a regular route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick and had flown that path 25 times over the past two years, according to flight tracking data.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Friday, spending time with rescue workers and walking through the destruction. He later met with the sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who remains hospitalized. “The entire nation is praying for his recovery,” Modi said in a statement.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also visited the scene, calling it a “deeply moving” experience and expressing condolences to the families of those lost.
As investigators comb through the wreckage and families await answers, the tragedy marks one of India’s deadliest air disasters in decades.