A top police officer in Ahmedabad city, India, named Vidhi Chaudhary, has confirmed that at least 240 people died in the air tragedy involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on Thursday.
Indian home minister, Amit Shah, has also confirmed that a single passenger survived the crash and that he met him at the hospital.
A doctor identified the survivor as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
The London-Bound plane had at least 240 people on board at the time it came down minutes after take-off.
The dead included five medical students who were killed when part of the plane fell on the dining area of a medical college. Over 50 people were reported injured in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
“Most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition,” the female police officer said, according to a report by the Associated Press, AP.
According to the report, video of the crash showed a large fireball, adding that the plane would have been loaded with fuel for the long flight to London.
But a sole survivor has been reported receiving treatment in hospital.
A doctor who said he had examined the survivor identified him as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti told The Associated Press. “But he seems to be out of danger.”
Air India has given statistics of the fatalities as including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian, with a local hospital confirming receiving 186 bodies.
Cause of the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner remains hazy at press time. But the crash is the first involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
But the authorities cited a video showing the plane with its nose pointed upward, sinking toward the ground before crashing and generating a huge fireball. An international investigation is underway to determine the specific causes.
Meanwhile, Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, has announced that it will provide 10 million rupees, or around $116,800, to the families of those who were killed in the crash.
The AP reports that the company said it would also cover injured victims’ medical costs and provide support to rebuild the medical college the plane crashed into.
“We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171,” the company said in a statement on X. “No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment.”
