KUALA LUMPUR — The death toll from the Air India crash near Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat has risen to 204, as more bodies are recovered from the wreckage.
According to The Hindu, 204 bodies have been retrieved from the site. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which oversees aviation incident probes in India, said it has launched an investigation into the crash.
The London-bound flight was carrying more than 240 passengers when it crashed shortly after take-off. The State Police Control Room confirmed the aircraft went down near Forensic Cross Road in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad.
According to the Times of India, the aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a seating capacity of 300.
A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, told local media that former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was believed to have been on board the flight.
“I am going to the city civil hospital to inquire about him,” he was quoted as saying.
Dhananjay Dwivedi, additional chief secretary in Gujarat’s health and family welfare department, said DNA testing arrangements are being made at B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, where the crash struck the hospital’s hostel building.
He urged family members of those on board to submit DNA samples to assist in the identification of victims.
“If relatives of the passengers and others injured, who have been brought to the Civil Hospital, have to make any inquiry, Civil Hospital Ahmedabad has issued two helpline numbers: 6357373831 and 6357373841,” he said. — June 12, 2025