When air accident investigators sorted the wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 that crashed on June 12 shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, the carrier confirmed that all but one of flights 171 had died in the accident.
Gurgaon-Headquarted Carrier said in a social media update that 787 people carry 230 passengers and 12 crew members.
“I regret telling you that out of the 242 captains there were 241 confirmed deaths,” Air India says. “The only survivors are being treated in hospitals.”
The survivor is widely reported to be British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, sitting at the emergency exit and reportedly separated from the burning wreckage.
The jet's passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese residents and one Canadian. Flight 171 headed to London Gatwick Airport.
Authorities have yet to disclose the number of casualties on the ground.
“Air India represents the deepest sadness of the deceased family,” the airline says. “Our efforts are fully focused on the needs of all the people affected, their families and loved ones.”
Career sent a “caregiver team” to Ahmedabad and established a hotline for passenger friends and relatives. They also organized two “relief flights” from Delhi and Mumbai for the next relatives of the passengers and crew killed in the accident.
Meanwhile, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a team of investigators to support Indian authorities, but the Federal Aviation Administration has said it is working with the NTSB to set up the team.
Air India, Boeing and engine maker GE Aerospace all say support for related research efforts.
The crash is the first example of a fatal accident involving Boeing's flagship widebody jet, 787 Dreamliner, which has shaken the global aerospace industry as India's worst aviation accident in decades.
The video on social media appears to be circulating, indicating that the 787 cannot climb after the lift-off. Before affecting the housing of medical trainees, they stayed high for under 30s and erupted in large fireballs.
According to aviation analysis company Cirium, the 12-year-old 787 was delivered to Air India in 2014, recording a flight time of around 41,000 hours.
