Ahmedabad: Almost 48 hours after the horrific plane crash in Ahmedabad, the body of an air hostess has been retrieved from the tail section of the ill-fated aircraft.
London Gatwick-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into BJ Medical College & Hospital’s hostel building barely 30 seconds after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
The tail section of the B787 Boeing Dreamliner jutted out of the hostel mess, where medical students and others were having lunch.
As search operations continued in the hostel and amidst the widespread burning debris, and efforts were underway to remove the plane parts, rescuers stumbled upon the body of a female flight attendant.
“Personnel of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services were working on the tail section of the aircraft, which is lodged in the mess area of the hostel. While cutting through it, they found the body of the flight attendant,” The Indian Express quoted an official as saying.
Unlike most of the people on board who were charred beyond recognition, the flight attendant’s body was found in a relatively better state.
“We realised that it was a flight attendant as some parts of the uniform were still visible,” the official said.
The body, which has been sent to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for autopsy, is yet to be identified.
The crash killed all but one of the 242 on board, and also around 30 people on the ground.
As investigators try to decode this rarest of rare crash, the black box — recovered from the rooftop of the hostel building — is expected to help find the reason.
Additional Rs 25 lakh compensation
Meanwhile, Air India on Saturday announced an additional Rs 25 lakh compensation for families of the crash victims.
“As part of our continued efforts, Air India will be providing an interim payment of ₹25 lakh or approximately 21,000 GBP each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs,” Air India stated in a post on X.
Air India clarified that this money is in addition to the Rs 1 crore compensation already announced by Tata Group.
