The Indian government has appointed a committee to investigate the crash of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, the death toll from which has increased. Relatives of the victims are demanding answers.
The death toll from the deadly crash of Air India’s flight 171 has risen to at least 270, officials told local media on Saturday, up from the previous tally of 265
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London’s Gatwick Airport on Thursday.
Out of 242 on board, only one person survived — British citizen Vishwashkumar Ramesh. Several other people on the ground were also killed.
Families wait for DNA testing after Air India crash
Authorities are in the process of clearing the debris and conducting DNA testing to identify the bodies found at the crash site.
Dhaval Gameti from the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad told the Associated Press (AP) that about 270 bodies had been received. Many of the remains were charred beyond recognition.
Relatives of the victims submitted DNA samples at the hospital, with some expressing frustration over the time being taken to identify the victims.
The official death toll will only be finalized after DNA identification is completed. The test usually takes 72 hours but authorities said they are trying to speed up the process.
“Where are my children? Did you recover them?” Rafiq Abdullah, whose family members were on the flight, asked AP. “I will have to ask questions. The government is not answering these questions.”
What’s the state of the investigation into the crash?
The Indian government has set up a multi-disciplinary panel led by the Union Home Secretary to investigate the incident.
The panel will “focus on formulating SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for use in the future,” India’s Civil Aviation Ministry said.
A report is expected to be submitted within three months.
Other government agencies are also conducting separate inquiries, Indian news agency PTI reported.
Air India said the flight was carrying 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian, plus 12 crew members.
The flight issued a mayday call just moments before it crashed around 1:38 p.m. local time (0808 GMT). India’s Aviation Authority also said on Saturday that the plane began to descend after reaching 650 feet (almost 200 meters)
Investigators recovered one of the plane’s black box recorders and are still looking for the second one.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it had started working with “full force” to extract the data.
American airplane manufacturer Boeing said it has been in touch with Air India and said it will provide support to them.
Edited by: Alex Berry
DW News
