Investigators have recovered the black box from the wreckage of Air India Flight 171, which crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing at least 265 people.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London, went down shortly after takeoff, following a mayday call and rapid loss of altitude.
The plane was carrying 242 people, including crew. Authorities believe at least 24 others died on the ground. One passenger, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was pulled from the debris alive.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he recalled, “Within a minute after takeoff, it felt like something got stuck… then the lights changed. Everything happened in front of me.”
The aircraft’s tail section became lodged in the upper floors of a hostel for medical staff, while the nose and landing gear struck a student canteen during lunchtime.
Deputy Police Commissioner Kanan Desai confirmed the death toll at 265. Home Minister Amit Shah said DNA testing is underway to identify victims, with samples being collected from relatives, including those abroad.
Air India reported the passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and met with survivors, including Ramesh. Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, calling them key to the investigation.
Grieving families gathered at a local emergency center to provide DNA samples. “He called us and said he had boarded safely,” said Ashfaque Nanabawa, searching for his cousin Akeel, who was traveling with his wife and daughter. “That was his last call.”
One woman, overwhelmed with grief, said her son-in-law was among the dead. “My daughter doesn’t know he’s gone,” she said. “I can’t tell her… someone else, please tell her.”
Volunteers described scenes of devastation. “The bodies were completely burnt. It looked like coal,” said Bharat Solanki, a worker from a nearby fuel station who rushed to help.
This appears to be the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. While experts warned against premature conclusions, they noted the possibility of a rare double engine failure, potentially caused by a bird strike.
“The aircraft can fly on one engine,” said Jason Knight, a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. “A double failure is extremely rare.”
India’s aviation regulator has ordered Air India to inspect all Dreamliners in its fleet, especially those powered by GEnx engines. The airline currently operates 34 of the aircraft.
Investigators from the UK and US have joined the probe to support Indian authorities.
India, now the world’s fourth-largest aviation market, has seen major air disasters in the past, including a 2010 crash in Mangalore that killed 158 and a 1996 mid-air collision near New Delhi that left nearly 350 dead. As Indian skies grow busier, the tragedy has renewed calls for vigilance on aviation safety.
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