Air India crash in Ahmedabad: Search for flight recorder

It borders on a miracle: One of the passengers on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad in western India to London Gatwick Airport in the UK survived the plane crash . Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was seated in seat 11A, directly next to an emergency exit. The British citizen of Indian descent was able to free himself. According to the Gujarat state health authority, he was taken to a hospital for treatment of burns and other injuries.

Ramesh told Indian state radio that he still can't believe he's alive. According to the survivor, the Boeing lost thrust immediately after takeoff. Then, the cabin lights came on, and immediately afterward, the plane accelerated but didn't appear to gain any more altitude before crashing.

Ramesh said the plane crashed into a building on the side where he was sitting. He was able to escape after the emergency exit door burst open. He unbuckled his seatbelt and squeezed himself out of the fuselage. "When I opened my eyes, I realized I was still alive," the 40-year-old said.

Prime Minister Modi at the scene of the accident

Following Home Minister Amit Shah, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the survivor in the hospital the day after the crash and heard the passenger's account of the accident. In discussions with officials and rescue teams, the Indian leader also gained an understanding of the situation on site. Modi expressed his dismay after visiting the scene. "The scene of destruction is saddening," he said. It was an "unimaginable tragedy."

The Air India plane crashed into the Meghani Nagar residential area of ​​Ahmedabad, which has a population of one million, after takeoff on Thursday. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued an emergency call shortly after takeoff. A cell phone video and surveillance camera footage show the plane rapidly losing altitude with its nose up and its landing gear extended, crashing into a building, and exploding in a fireball.

241 fatalities in the plane wreckage

According to Air India, 241 of the 242 people on board were killed. The Indian news agency ANI reports that 230 passengers and 12 crew members were killed. According to Air India, the passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.

Since the fully fueled plane crashed into a dormitory for medical students, more casualties are expected. Indian media reports that people were killed and many injured in the dormitory. There is no official information from the authorities yet on the total number of victims.

According to local deputy police chief Kanan Desai, at least 24 people who were not on board the plane are among the dead. Emergency crews are searching the wreckage for more victims. Desai added that as more remains continue to be found, the death toll could rise.

DNA samples for identification

Already on Thursday evening, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah had stated that the official death toll would not be announced until DNA tests were completed. Throughout the night, relatives of the plane's passengers gathered at the Ahmedabad Medical School to provide DNA samples for genetic testing to identify the victims.

The search for the cause of the accident is also ongoing. The fact that one of the flight data recorders has already been found, as reported by an Indian newspaper, has not yet been officially confirmed. All large aircraft are equipped with two of these devices. They record technical data, for example, from engines, flaps, elevators, and rudder, and also record the pilots' conversations in the cockpit.

These recordings may also shed light on why the flaps on the wings were apparently already retracted while the landing gear was still deployed—as the video footage of the crash shows. Both are unusual during this phase of flight shortly after takeoff. The flaps provide more lift, and the landing gear is usually retracted quickly to reduce drag on the ascending aircraft.

AR/se (ap, afp, dpa, rtr)