Doctors in Ahmedabad, India, say 270 bodies have now been recovered following the devastating crash of a London-bound Air India flight last Thursday.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down seconds after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, striking a residential complex housing medical staff from BJ Medical College.
Among the 242 passengers and crew, only one man—40-year-old Briton Vishwashkumar Ramesh—survived. Officials are still working to identify victims, including those killed on the ground, using DNA matching in coordination with families.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India is leading the inquiry, with support from UK and US teams.
On Friday, authorities recovered the plane’s black box, which India’s civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said would “significantly aid” the investigation.
Data from Flightradar24 indicates the plane was 11 years old and had made 25 previous trips between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick over the past two years.
In response to the crash, India’s aviation regulator (DGCA) has ordered comprehensive safety checks across Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleets as a precautionary measure.
Vigils have been held across India and the UK. In London, around 100 mourners gathered outside the Indian High Commission, lighting candles in remembrance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and hospital on Friday, calling it a national tragedy. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, who also visited, described the scene as “deeply moving.”
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