By Amofokhai Williams
Air India has confirmed the deaths of 241 people after one of its London-bound flights, AI171, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday.
In a statement released at 20:21 local time, the airline said that out of the 242 passengers and crew onboard, only one survived, a British national now receiving treatment in hospital.
The tragedy has plunged the nation into mourning and sent shockwaves across international communities, as the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.
“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of those affected, their families and loved ones,” Air India said in its statement.
“We are giving our full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”
Authorities are facing challenges in identifying the bodies, many of which are being examined at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. DNA sampling has been initiated, but the process is slow and emotionally excruciating for waiting families.
The BBC met T. Thanglingo Haokip outside the post-mortem room. He is searching for news about his cousin, Singson, a cabin crew member on the flight.
“Her parents are distraught. She was the sole breadwinner for her family. Her brother has cancer. Her mother depends entirely on her,” he said.
Medical staff at the hospital say they are overwhelmed. “Ever since the bodies started coming in, we’ve been examining them non-stop. We are exhausted. We have lost track of time,” one doctor told reporters.
Meanwhile, the lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, recounted the terrifying moment the crash occurred: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise… it all happened so quickly,” he told reporters, sharing a photo of his boarding pass.
India’s Minister of Home Affairs has visited Ramesh in the hospital, and condolences have poured in from around the world.
