Ahmedabad, June 13:  Post-mortem examinations are underway at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital after the Air India plane with 242 onboard crashed minutes after takeoff from here, officials said on Friday. According to officials, a team of 70 to 80 doctors, including medical professionals from Primary and Community Health Centres across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Nadiad and Civil Hospital staff, have been working tirelessly since Thursday evening.

After identification, the bodies are being handed over to grieving families with full dignity and sensitivity. As of Friday morning, five victims have been identified and their remains returned to their families. Among them are two individuals from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh. The process continues as more relatives arrive to assist in identifying their loved ones among the deceased.

The hospital administration has urged the relatives and close family members of the deceased to submit DNA samples to facilitate timely identification. Officials say the DNA testing is being used to identify remains, as many bodies were badly burned in the tragedy.

Civil Hospital has released emergency helpline numbers for those seeking information about patients or the deceased: 6357373831, 6357373841 Meanwhile, Anjali Rupani, wife of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, arrived in Ahmedabad from London on Friday morning, a day after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 that claimed her husband’s life. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi received her at the airport and offered his condolences. The same Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI-171) that crashed had previously experienced major technical problems just a month earlier, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled Ahmedabad-to-London flight. At the time, passengers voiced serious concerns over the airline’s reliance on ageing aircraft, pointing to repeated technical failures that disrupted their travel. On that particular day, passengers of flight AI-171 endured a frustrating ordeal. The flight, which was slated to depart from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.10 p.m., was cancelled after travellers were left waiting inside the aircraft for more than two hours. Many had arrived early, expecting a smooth international departure. Boarding began only at 2.00 p.m., and those on board faced stifling conditions as the air conditioning shut off intermittently. Despite repeated questions, no clear information was provided by the airline crew regarding the delay or a revised departure time. Eventually, passengers were informed that the flight was being called off due to a technical issue. While Air India did announce full refunds, passengers expressed frustration.

Ahmedabad, June 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the devastating Air India plane crash. Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, is recovering from injuries sustained in the crash and is being treated at a hospital in Ahmedabad.

Ramesh, traveling with his 45-year-old brother Ajay Kumar Rakesh, recounted the harrowing moments to Prime Minister Modi during their meeting.

“My brother was seated in a different row and didn’t survive. I still don’t know how I made it out alive,” he told the Prime Minister.

“For a while, I thought I was going to die. Everything happened in front of my eyes — the noise, the impact, the fire. I somehow found a small space to escape.”

Describing the terrifying seconds before the crash, he said, “After take-off, the aircraft seemed to stall briefly. Then it suddenly nosedived and crashed into the building. I was on the opposite side of where the plane hit. That saved me.”

Ramesh, who was seen walking away from the wreckage despite his injuries, added that he was receiving good medical care.

Prime Minister Modi also visited the Civil Hospital and met with several injured victims of the crash, many of whom are students of the BJ Medical College.

The hostel that bore the brunt of the impact was filled with young MBBS students, many of whom had no time to react when the plane hit the building.

The ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was en route to London when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. It slammed into the hostel of BJ Medical College in the densely populated Meghaninagar area, just 3 km from the airport.

The crash occurred around 1.30 pm — just as medical students had gathered in the mess-cum-dining hall for lunch.

Authorities have launched a massive rescue and identification operation. The process of handing over bodies to grieving families has begun, even as investigators comb through the debris to determine the cause of one of India’s deadliest aviation tragedies in recent memory.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the Air India plane crash site. He arrived in the city to take stock of the situation, a day after the deadly Boeing 787-8 crash, which claimed the lives of 241 people, including 12 crew members onboard.

He was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Union Minister C.R. Paatil at the domestic terminal of Ahmedabad airport.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.

The aircraft, operating as Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, plunged into a residential complex near BJ Medical College, killing 241 people on board.

There were 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots on the flight.

One person — the passenger of seat No. 11A — survived the crash, officials said. According to officials, the person is a British national of Indian origin who was seated in 11A, survived the crash and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The Prime Minister, who served as Gujarat’s Chief Minister for 12 years, had expressed his grief on his X handle on Thursday. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

The crash is being described as one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history.

The government has launched a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy. A team of forensic experts arrived at the crash site to begin an investigation and evidence collection as part of the ongoing probe

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who rushed to the crash site from Vijayawada on Thursday, confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with leading the inquiry.

“Following the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Additionally, the Government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail. The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in future,” the Minister announced on his X handle.

The AAIB, functioning under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is India’s designated authority for probing serious aviation incidents and operates in accordance with global standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued a distress call moments before losing altitude, and investigators are now focused on the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — commonly known as black boxes — to reconstruct the final moments of the flight.

Minister Naidu emphasised that the government is not limiting its response to routine procedures. A multidisciplinary high-level committee is being constituted to examine the broader implications of the crash. This panel will include aviation safety experts, engineers, air traffic control specialists, and representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.