The owner of Air India is to pay out 10 million rupees (about £86,000) to the families of each passenger who died in Thursday’s air crash, and cover medical expenses of anyone injured.
All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner died after the aircraft crashed just after take-off from Ahmedabad on its way to Gatwick Airport.
The sole survivor is a 40-year-old British-Indian, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who lives in London and was in Ahmedabad visiting family. His boarding pass showed he was sitting in seat 11A. He was travelling with his brother, who was sitting in a different row.
Vishwash told the Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Part of the plane fell on top of a dining area of a medical college, killing at least five medical students and injuring nearly 50, some critically, the Federation of All India Medical Association said.
Authorities said on Thursday afternoon that 204 bodies have been recovered.
In a statement posted on X, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chair of Air India’s owner Tata Group, said: “Tata Group will provide ₹1 crore to the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy.”
One crore is 10 million rupees.
He added: “We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support.
“Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the B J Medical’s hostel.
“We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time.”
Meanwhile, Air India has cancelled at flight from Gatwick to Goa tonight (Thursday). The flight to Manohar International Airport had been scheduled to depart at 20:30, two hours after the flight from Ahmedabad had been due to land at Gatwick.
Gatwick has set up a reception centre for relatives of those on board flight AI171.
The UK Foreign Office has updated its advice with more phone numbers. It said: “If you need help from the British government, or have concerns for friends or family, call:
- +91 (11) 2419 2100 (in India)
- +44 (0) 20 7008 5000 (in the UK)
“The Government of Gujarat State have established an Emergency Centre that can be contacted on: +91 (0) 79 23251900 / +91 (0) 9078405304.
“Air India has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number. Families in India seeking more information can call 1800 5691 444.”
The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it is ‘deploying a multidisciplinary investigation team to India to support the Indian led investigation’.
