June 12 (UPI) — Police in the Indian city of Ahmedabad said at least one person survived the crash of an Air India plane Thursday that was carrying 242 people.
The survivor has been identified as a British citizen named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh told Hindustan Times.
Ahmedabad’s police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had been recovered from the site, although it was not immediately clear whether they were people who were on the ground or on the plane at the time of impact.
Air India previously announced that its flight AI171, which was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has since explained the plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members.
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, lifted off from Ahmedabad Airport at about 1:38 p.m. local time en route to London Gatwick Airport but crashed after reaching an altitude of 625 feet shortly after takeoff into a residential area near the Ahmedabad airport.
Part of the plane struck the dining area of B.J. Medical College. Federation of All India Medical Association Vice President Dr. Divyaansh Singh announced in a X post that reports indicate there are 10 to 20 casualties from its student body and resident doctors. He also has requested those in or near Ahmedabad donate blood to help those injured in the accident.
Ahmedabad Police also posted a list Thursday of 25 people who were injured, most of whom are between the ages of 18 to 20.
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran announced in a statement that he and the airline’s parent company Tata Group “are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171.”
Chandrasekaran further explained that his company will cover the medical expenses of those injured, provide support to B.J. Medical College and give around $117,000 to the to the families of each person who died in the crash.
He concluded the statement by noting “We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time.”
