SRINAGAR: A senior police officer in Ahmedabad said on Saturday that 279 bodies had been recovered from the site of the passenger jet crash in a residential area of the city.
The revised toll, shared on condition of anonymity, raises the earlier figure of 265. The updated number places the incident among the deadliest air disasters of the 21st century.
Air India said the flight, bound for London’s Gatwick airport, had 242 people on board. Only one person survived. At least 38 people on the ground were killed when the aircraft crashed into residential buildings near the airport.
The final casualty figure will be confirmed after the DNA identification process is completed.
According to Air India, those on board included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, one Canadian passenger, and 12 crew members.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued a mayday call shortly before it crashed around midday on Thursday, after climbing just over 100 metres from take-off.
Investigators recovered one black box from the wreckage on Friday. Search for the second recorder is ongoing.
Boeing said it is in contact with Air India and is prepared to support the investigation. This incident marks the first reported crash involving a 787 Dreamliner, according to a source familiar with the case. (With Inputs AFP)
