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Grief has gripped families across multiple continents after an ill-fated Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad, killing at least 279 people in one of the deadliest air disasters in recent history.
The jet, which issued a mayday call shortly before crashing, exploded into a massive fireball on Thursday afternoon, tearing through homes and leaving devastation in its wake.
Officials confirmed that the plane’s violent descent and collision with residential buildings significantly increased the number of casualties, with at least 38 people killed on the ground in addition to passengers and crew.
Out of 242 people on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian, only one survivor has been found.
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The wreckage left the aircraft’s tail embedded in the side of a hostel meant for medical staff, symbolising the scale of destruction.
“I saw my child for the first time in two years. It was a great time,” said Anil Patel, who had just reunited with his son and daughter-in-law before they boarded the ill-fated flight. “And now, there is nothing,” he added, breaking down in tears. “Whatever the gods wanted has happened.”
The official death toll is expected to rise as DNA identification continues, a painful and slow process made even more complex by the intensity of the crash. Distraught relatives, some flown in from overseas, are providing DNA samples to help identify remains.
Among the victims were a high-ranking politician, a teenage tea seller, and families returning from long-overdue reunions. What should have been just another flight has become a national tragedy and even far-reaching, a global one.
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