(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- In one of the worst air disasters in recent memory, an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed minutes after takeoff on Thursday, killing at least 290 people. The aircraft plunged into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital complex, setting off a massive fire and widespread devastation.
Mayday After Takeoff, Then Silence
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, took off from Runway 23 at 1:39 PM carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The pilot issued a 'Mayday' distress call soon after takeoff but communication was lost abruptly.
According to aviation sources, the plane had barely climbed 600 to 800 feet before it lost altitude and slammed into the crowded medical college campus near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, bursting into flames.
One Survivor: A Miracle Amid Tragedy
In a twist of fate, one person survived the crash - a passenger seated on 11A, officials confirmed late Thursday night. Rescue teams said the man was found conscious but severely injured, and is currently undergoing treatment at the same hospital that bore the brunt of the crash.
“It's nothing short of a miracle,” said a senior official involved in the rescue operation.“Seat 11A was near the emergency exit, which may have contributed to his survival.
International Passengers, Ground Casualties Feared
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said. Among the passengers was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Apart from those on board, officials suspect up to 25 people on the ground - residents of the hostel blocks and staff of the hospital - may also have perished.
Medical Campus in Flames
Eyewitnesses said the crash site resembled a war zone. Multi-storey hostel buildings caught fire, trees were scorched, and dozens of vehicles were reduced to metal frames. The aircraft's nose was seen lodged into a dining hall on the top floor of the nurses' hostel.
“The plane flew dangerously low and then just disappeared into the buildings,” said local resident Haresh Shah.“It was a terrifying sight.”
Investigation Begins, Black Box Hunt On
The DGCA has launched a full investigation. The hunt is on for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which could offer clues to what went wrong.
The aircraft involved was 11 years old, and both pilots - Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar - were said to be experienced, with over 8,200 and 1,100 flying hours respectively.
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No chance to save anyone: Shah
Union minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that the temperature in the Air India plane which crashed in Ahmedabad was so high due to burning fuel that there was no chance to save anyone.
“There was 1.25 lakh litre of fuel inside the plane and it caught heat so it was impossible to save anyone,” Shah told reporters.
The entire nation is in deep shock following the tragedy, he said.
Shah also expressed condolences to relatives of those killed in the accident.
“The number of those killed will be officially released by the authorities after DNA test and identification of the victims,” Shah said.
“The good news is that one person survived the crash and I am coming here after meeting him,” he said.
“The process of collecting DNA samples from bodies of those killed in the plane crash is over. Forensic Science
Laboratory and National Forensic Sciences University in Gujarat will conduct DNA tests of the victims,” he said.
First Dreamliner Disaster
The ill-fated plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said.
US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up.
“If you didn't know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway,” Brickhouse said.
The last fatal plane crash in India, the world's third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm.
The airline's Boeing-737 overshot a“table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.
Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.
The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara - a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
Second Major Crash in City's History
This is Ahmedabad's second major air crash after the 1988 Indian Airlines disaster, which killed 130. Thursday's crash is also the first involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in India, and the deadliest since the Kozhikode crash in 2020.
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