A senior Indian police officer, speaking anonymously to the media on Saturday, confirmed that 279 bodies have now been recovered from the wreckage of a devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The revised death toll, up from an earlier count of 265, marks the incident as one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the 21st century.
The crash occurred when an Air India flight, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, plunged into a densely populated residential area near Ahmedabad airport.
Tragically, only one of the 242 people on board survived the crash.
Adding to the toll, at least 38 residents were confirmed dead after the aircraft tore through multiple homes shortly after takeoff.
Authorities stated that the final casualty figure will remain uncertain until the completion of DNA identification.
Air India disclosed that the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian, alongside 12 crew members.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued a mayday call shortly before the Thursday midday crash. It had barely climbed 100 metres (approximately 330 feet) into the air before the tragic descent.
A black box recorder was recovered from the site on Friday, though forensic teams continue to search for the second unit.
Boeing, the U.S. manufacturer of the aircraft, acknowledged the incident in a statement, saying it was in communication with Air India and was “ready to support them.”
A source familiar with the investigation noted that this marks the first-ever crash involving a 787 Dreamliner.
