Personnel from the National Disaster Rescue Force have resumed rescue operations at the site where Air India's AI171 Ahmedabad-London flight crashed on Thursday. Rescuers have deployed sniffer dogs to identify the presence of remaining survivors in the tragic incident.
Rescue forces resumed the operations during the early hours of Friday. According to officials, efforts to clear the debris from the crash site outside Ahmedabad Airport continued overnight. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kanan Desai, said some debris still needed to be removed and the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
In a statement issued during the early hours of Friday, Air India confirmed that except for one passenger, all 241 onboard the London-bound flight, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, got killed in the fatal crash. "The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital," it said.
The aircraft crashed into a medical college complex in the Meghaninagar area moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Four MBBS students and a doctor's wife were among those killed at the complex of BJ Medical College.
According to Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. The survivor is a British national of Indian origin.
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Ahmedabad today and review the situation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu reached Ahmedabad soon after the incident and oversaw rescue efforts.
The Centre has ordered a thorough probe into the accident by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The Centre has also formed a high-level committee comprising experts to study the accident. Experts from the US and the UK will be assisting India's probe.
