A tragic incident occurred on Thursday when a Boeing 787, en route to London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India. The aircraft struck a medical college hostel in a residential area, resulting in the deaths of all 241 passengers onboard and at least 29 individuals on the ground. As recovery efforts continued, many families of the victims flocked to the local hospital to provide DNA samples for identification, with many of the deceased found in such a state that recognition was nearly impossible. So far, authorities have identified 32 victims through DNA matching, with 14 sets of remains returned to their families.
Despite the dire circumstances, family members expressed frustration at the slow identification process, which typically takes up to 72 hours. The Indian government has formed a high-level committee to investigate the cause of the crash and improve emergency procedures. Additionally, inspections of the entire Air India Boeing 787 fleet are underway, with several aircraft already examined.
Among the 241 passengers were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Many of the British victims had relatives in the nearby Gujarat state, who also submitted DNA samples for the identification process. Investigators have retrieved the plane’s black box, which could provide insights into what went wrong, including technical failures or cockpit communications.
The Boeing 787 in question was 12 years old; however, the model itself has faced scrutiny for safety issues in past incidents. This crash marks a significant disaster, being the first fatal crash of the 787 in its 16-year operational history. As both grieving families and officials continue to navigate this tragedy, the immediate focus remains on determining the cause of the crash and ensuring such an event does not happen again.