In India, mourners adorned white coffins with flowers as funerals began for some of the at least 279 victims of one of the deadliest plane crashes in recent decades.
Health authorities have started handing over the first bodies identified through DNA testing to bereaved families in Ahmedabad, a city in western India. However, most families are still awaiting news.
“They told us it would take 48 hours, but it’s already been four days and we haven’t heard anything,” said 23-year-old Rinal Christian, whose older brother was a passenger on the doomed flight.
Out of the 242 people on board—passengers and crew—only one survived when the Air India flight bound for London crashed into a residential neighborhood in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The crash also claimed the lives of at least 38 people on the ground.
“My brother supported the entire family,” Mr. Christian added. “What happens to us now?”
At an Ahmedabad crematorium, a group of 20 to 30 mourners gathered to chant prayers during the funeral of Megha Mehta, a passenger who had been employed in London.
By Sunday evening, 47 victims had been positively identified, according to Dr. Rajnish Patel from Ahmedabad’s civil hospital.
“This is a very careful and slow process, and it must be done with precision,” Dr. Patel emphasized.
One victim’s relative, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were advised not to open the coffin upon its arrival.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing charred remains and body parts scattered at the crash site. Cleanup crews continued to clear wreckage on Sunday, with police still examining the scene.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner turned into a fireball shortly after takeoff, slamming into buildings housing medical personnel. Most of those injured on the ground have since been released, with only one or two still in critical condition, Dr. Patel noted.
Second Black Box Recovered
Indian officials are still trying to determine the cause of the crash and have ordered inspections of all Air India Dreamliner aircraft.
This incident marked the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Investigators recovered the aircraft’s flight data recorder—commonly known as the black box—from a rooftop near the crash zone. The recorder is expected to provide details about engine performance and control settings, while the cockpit voice recorder will reveal pilot communications, according to Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
India’s Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, expressed hope that analyzing the black box will provide deep insight into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
In parallel with the crash investigation, the government has established a high-level panel to probe the underlying causes and improve emergency protocols for future air travel, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said Saturday.
Preliminary data shows that Air India flight AI171 was airborne for only a few seconds before crashing 1.5 kilometers from the runway.
Authorities have already inspected eight of India’s 34 Dreamliners and will expedite checks on the remaining fleet, Minister Kinjarapu announced at his first press briefing since the crash.
The aircraft involved was 12 years old. Other Boeing aircraft have experienced safety issues in recent years.
There are approximately 1,200 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in service globally, and this is the first fatal crash in the model’s 16-year history.
Calls for Accountability
Imtiyaz Ali, who is still awaiting a DNA match to confirm the death of his brother, criticized the airline for not providing faster assistance to affected families.
“I’m disappointed. This was their responsibility,” Mr. Ali said, noting the airline only contacted him on Saturday.
“We need to understand what went wrong. That’s the next step.”
One survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, escaped from the wreckage. His brother was also on board.
Broader Aviation Concerns
Despite air travel being the safest form of transport, global aviation deaths more than tripled between 2023 and 2024, raising concerns that the aviation boom in the Asia-Pacific region may be outpacing safety infrastructure.
Air India confirmed the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members.
Among the passengers was Arjun Patoliya, a father of two young daughters who had traveled to India to scatter his late wife’s ashes.
“I hope we all come together to support those little girls,” said Anjana Patel, mayor of London’s Harrow borough, home to several victims.
“We can’t begin to imagine the pain these families are enduring,” she added.
Meanwhile, one woman credited missing the flight for saving her life.
“We arrived late to the airport, and check-in had already closed,” said 28-year-old Bhoomi Chauhan.
“At the time, I kept thinking, if only we’d left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed our flight,” she told the Press Trust of India.
