Air India Plane Crash: 'One survivor found in seat 11A', confirms Ahmedabad police chief
Ahmedabad police said they can't rule out more survivors after the Air India crash. One person in seat 11A has been found alive and is being treated. The death toll may rise, says top cop.
Ahmedabad police have said they cannot rule out the possibility of more survivors after a London-bound Air India flight with 242 people on board crashed on Thursday. Speaking to news agency ANI, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that authorities found “one survivor in seat 11A”. He said, “One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment. Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area.”
The survivor is reportedly a British national, identified as Vishwash.
Meanwhile, Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The plane, which was en route to London, crashed in a residential area just five minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat.
Videos shared on social media showed thick plumes of dark smoke rising into the sky from the crash site. Of the 242 people on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is also believed to be among the victims who died. Gujarat BJP President CR Patil described the plane crash as a "tragic incident" and expressed deep sorrow at the loss of lives.
"The BJP family is deeply saddened," Paatil told reporters in Mehsana, mourning the death of former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
"May God grant peace to all the departed souls, and give strength and peace to the families of the deceased," Patil, who is also a union minister, said.
"The crash has caused harm to passengers and hostel-based doctor students," he said, offering condolences. "May the souls of those who died in the crash rest in peace," he added.
Vijay Ramniklal Rupani was listed as the 12th passenger on the flight manifest. According to India Today, he was booked in Z class, which is part of the Business Class category.