Ahmedabad plane crash: Finding black box in 28 hrs 'significant', says govt

Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon witnessed one of the catastrophic aviation disasters when Air India’s London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (AI171) crashed near a densely populated locality just 33 seconds after takeoff, killing at least 260 people. READ FULL STORY

Anjali Rupani, BJP leader Vijay Rupani's wife, arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday. She was received by Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi

BJP leader Vijay Rupani, who was also the former CM of Gujarat, died in the Air India AI-171 plane crash yesterday

NDRF personnel with a sniffer dog return to the AI-171 plane crash site in Ahmedabad to look for any remaining survivors in the incident. 

Air India MD & CEO Campbell Wilson on Friday arrived at the AI-171 plane crash site in Ahmedabad. The deadly crash killed at least 260 people, Ahmedabad IG Vidhi Chaudhary said.

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik arrived at the Civil Hospital on Friday, where the medical treatment of the lone survivor, Ramesh Vishwaskumar and the injured MBBS students was underway. 

The collection of DNA samples for the identification of deceased passengers was also being done.

The examination hall of the BJ Medical College, behind the mortuary of Ahmedabad’s civil hospital, was turned into a makeshift blood collection centre for DNA identification of the victims of the Air India flight crash. READ FULL STORY

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday thanked all foreign leaders and governments for their condolences in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

In a post on X, he said, "Thank all foreign leaders and Governments for their condolences at the tragic loss of lives in the Ahmedabad air crash. We appreciate this deeply."

An elderly couple from Maharashtra's Solapur district who planned to meet their son in London died on board the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, reported PTI. READ MORE

Gujarat home minister Harsh Sanghavi and BJP's State General Secretary Ratnakar reached the Ahmedabad airport on Friday morning, ANI reported.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ahmedabad today.

Tributes have been paid to Britons, including a couple of wellness advocates and a family of three who are believed to be among more than 240 fliers and crew members who died after a Gatwick Airport-bound plane crashed in India.

Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed on Thursday

The crash of an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet minutes after taking off on Thursday led to Boeing shares falling about 4.2 per cent, Reuters reported on Thursday. READ MORE

Ramesh Vishwaskumar, the lone survivor of the deadly crash, was seated in row 11 at the left window seat, the first row in economy class that’s positioned right behind an emergency exit.

On smaller aircraft like the Boeing 737, that particular seat number happens to be one that savvy passengers often avoid because it’s typically slightly offset away from a window, thereby offering no outside view.

For Vishwaskumar, the seat and its proximity to an exit may well have contributed to saving his life.

Following the AI-171 plane crash, the medical treatment of the lone survivor, Ramesh Vishwaskumar and the injured MBBS students was underway. The collection of DNA samples for the identification of deceased passengers was also being done at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, ANI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ahmedabad on Friday, a day after the fatal Air India plane crash, ANI reported. He is likely to visit the crash site as well.

Secretary of the US Department of Transportation Sean Duffy on Thursday (local time) expressed condolences for the loss of lives in the Air India crash.

Duffy said that the department was working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist India in the investigation of the crash.

Boeing and GE Aerospace are scaling back their public activities following the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner, which killed at least 260 people. The planemaker's CEO cancelled his trip to the Paris Airshow next week, and GE postponed an investor day, reported Reuters.

Boeing and GE Aerospace are scaling back their public activities following the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner, which killed at least 260 people. The planemaker's CEO cancelled his trip to the Paris Airshow next week, and GE postponed an investor day, reported Reuters.

Boeing and GE Aerospace are scaling back their public activities following the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner, which killed at least 260 people. The planemaker's CEO cancelled his trip to the Paris Airshow next week, and GE postponed an investor day, reported Reuters.

Rajasthan deputy chief minister Prem Chand Bairwa said that 11 people from the state were among the people who were killed in the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

He said the Rajasthan government was in constant touch with the concerned agencies, addressing the emergency in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. Bairwa assured that the state government stands firm with the grieving families.

A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India.

The Tata Group, which owns Air India Airlines has announced a compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of each person who lost their lives in the deadly plane crash on Thursday.

Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party postponed all of their party functions and events for the next three days in tribute to the victims of the Air India plane crash, which happened earlier on Thursday, the party's chief said.

"Tribute to everyone who lost their lives in the very tragic accident in Ahmedabad! In this hour of grief, all of us are with every bereaved family. All the functions of SP will remain postponed for the next 3 days," Yadav posted on X.

During the meeting, Amit Shah said that from DNA sample collection for the deceased and their families, to identification, and the safe return of mortal remains to their respective homes, would be fully supported by the government.

Union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting in the wake of the deadly Air India plane crash in Gujarat and obtained detailed information regarding the entire incident.

In this meeting, Shah reviewed the rescue and relief operations and issued necessary instructions to the concerned officials.

The Indian government also constituted a high-level committee of people with expertise in multiple disciplines to examine the crash incident and devise ways to strengthen aviation safety by preventing such incidents in the future.