AHMEDABAD, India, June 12 (Reuters) – In a devastating incident, more than 200 people have been confirmed dead following the crash of an Air India plane bound for London shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The aircraft, carrying 242 individuals, went down in a residential area, striking a medical college hostel during lunchtime.
The plane was en route to Gatwick Airport, located south of London, when it crashed. City police chief G.S. Malik reported that 204 bodies have been recovered from the site, with no survivors found. The Indian Express cited police sources confirming that all on board had perished.
Malik indicated that the fatalities included passengers and individuals on the ground. In an effort to identify the deceased, relatives have been asked to provide DNA samples, according to state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi.
“The building on which it crashed is a doctors’ hostel. We have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer stated in a briefing.
Photos and videos from the scene revealed parts of the aircraft scattered across the vicinity, with the tail section lodged atop the building. Reports from India’s CNN News-18 noted that the crash occurred over the dining area of the B.J. Medical College hostel, resulting in numerous casualties among medical students.
Among the passengers were 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. Air India confirmed that 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian.
The aircraft involved was identified as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, recognized as one of the most modern passenger planes currently in service. This incident marks the first crash for the Dreamliner, which has been operational since 2011. The specific aircraft had its first flight in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to data from Flightradar24.
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