Air India plane crash live updates: British investigators arrive to help find cause of disaster as death toll updated – UK Times

A student missed her flight to London by just 10 minutes – a twist of fate that saved her life.

The 28-year-old business student from Bristol had been visiting Gujarat with her husband and was booked on Air India flight AI171, which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Bhumi Chauhan says she had checked in online and reached Ahmedabad airport at 12:20pm local time, just 10 minutes after boarding was due to start.

“I got late because I was stuck in traffic. I was upset (after being denied boarding) and reached the airport exit when I learnt the plane had crashed,” she told Indian news channel NDTV,

She had travelled 200km from Ankleshwar but was delayed by city traffic.

Ms Chauhan said she was disappointed when she missed her flight, but minutes later everything changed.

“I was getting ready to step out of the airport when I learnt about the crash. I began shivering. My legs started trembling. I felt numb for quite some time,” she said.

“My Ganpati ji (Hindu god) saved me,” she added

At least 270 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the Air India plane that crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, a hospital official has said, according to Reuters news agency.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 people when it lost altitude moments after take-off on Thursday and slammed into buildings near the airport, erupting in a massive fireball. Rescue teams have been working through the debris since the crash, which also killed several people on the ground.

The bodies of several victims of the plane crash are expected to be released to their families by tomorrow evening, following the completion of the DNA sampling process, The Independent has learnt.

According to hospital officials, DNA samples of victims who could not be identified visually were submitted on Thursday. Their remains are likely to be handed over once the 72-hour verification window concludes.

In the meantime, the bodies of victims identified through visible body marks are expected to be released either by this evening or early tomorrow morning.

However, not all victims have undergone DNA sampling. For those cases, officials say the identification process may take longer, as DNA analysis typically requires a minimum of 72 hours.

Gujarat’s minister of state for home, Harsh Sanghavi, is visiting the site of the crash, a day after prime minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, my colleague Namita Singh reports from Ahmedabad.

Multiple Indian agencies, including the National Security Guard (NSG), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Air Force, forensic teams, fire and rescue services are inspecting the wreckage of the London-bound Air India jet, which crashed into the rooftop of a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad.

The area remains fully cordoned off.

British investigators have arrived in India to assist with the probe into the Air India plane crash that killed at least 260 people, including nearly all passengers and crew on board.

A team of four officials from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and flight data, is now working in Ahmedabad alongside American and Indian counterparts.

“Their role is to provide additional support and expertise to the safety investigation being led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau,” the government said.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata – which owns Air India – said this was one of the “darkest days” in the group’s history and promised full transparency. “We don’t know right now [what caused the crash], but we will,” he said.

The Indian government has formed a committee to investigate the disaster, and officials confirmed the aircraft’s black box has been recovered. The panel will examine cockpit voice recordings, flight data and maintenance records and is expected to submit a report within three months.

British consular staff have also been deployed to assist with victim identification and coordinate with local authorities. The UK has been given ‘expert’ status in the Indian investigation but the release of official findings will rest with Indian authorities.

Shops and businesses remained closed in Rajkot today as the city mourned the death of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani in the Ahmedabad air crash.

Rupani, who served as chief minister of the state from 2016 to 2021, and was elected multiple times as MLA from the Rajkot West constituency, was among the dead when Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff.

Ahmedabad municipal corporation workers continued to clear debris from the crash site using heavy machinery, now on the third day since the incident.

As of 9am local time (4.30am GMT), several senior police officials and personnel from the state rescue and disaster response team have been seen visiting the site.

The area remained cordoned off and inaccessible to civilians.