Briton survives worst aviation disaster in decade
More than 200 people have been killed in an Air India crash, the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.
The flight bound for London hit a medical college hostel only minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said.
Only one person is known to have survived, police said. The man has told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after take-off.
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, crashed onto the hostel outside the airport during lunch hour on Thursday (local time).
The flight was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X.
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“It is heartbreaking beyond words.”
City police chief GS Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site – both passengers and medical students. Vidhi Chaudhary, another senior police officer, said police found one survivor and said there could be more.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” 40-year-old survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh told the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, adding he was desperate to hear what had happened to his brother, who was also on the flight.
“It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Police chief Malik said the recovered bodies could include both passengers and people killed on the ground.
“Chances are there could be some more survivors among those who are in hospital,” police officer Chaudhary told Reuters.
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Pilots issued a mayday call soon after take-off, and the plane crashed soon after. Photo: AAP
“There are also chances that the death toll will go up. More than 50 injured are in hospitals at present.”
Parts of the plane’s body were scattered around the building into which it crashed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and the Consulate-General in Mumbai are urgently following up with local authorities to find out whether any Australians were on board.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39pm local time from runway 23. It gave a mayday call, signalling an emergency, but did not respond after that.
The plane crashed into a nearby building. Photo: AAP
Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information.
Boeing shares fell 5 per cent as the crash posed a major setback for the plane manufacturer, as its new CEO looks to rebuild trust following a series of safety and production challenges.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were “devastating”, and that he was being informed as the situation developed.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King was also being kept updated.
The owners of Air India have said it will provide 10 million rupees ($179,000) to the families of each of the dead, cover medical expenses for the injured and help rebuild the hostel of the medical college.
