Ahmedabad/New Delhi: The death toll of Thursday’s horrendous air crash in Ahmedabad has gone up to 274, authorities have confirmed. While 241 of those killed were inside the aircraft that crashed, the remaining 33 died on the ground.
Most of those killed on the ground were students of the B J Medical College and Hospital, as the plane crashed into a residential complex that housed a hostel for the MBBS students.
Sources have said that the Gujarat unit of the Indian Medical Association has written to Tata Sons, seeking compensation for the deaths and injuries on the ground. While Air India has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the next of kin of passengers killed in the accident, there has been mention about those who died on the ground.
The government has, meanwhile, set up a high-level multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes that led to the crash. The committee, headed by the Union home secretary, will suggest comprehensive guidelines to prevent such incidents in the future.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu will brief the media on the accident on Saturday afternoon. This will be the government’s first official briefing on the matter.
The briefing will take place after a meeting of top officials of the civil aviation ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other concerned agencies and departments. The meeting will be chaired by Naidu.
Meanwhile, over 250 DNA samples have been collected from family members of the deceased at the B J Medical College and Hospital to identify the bodies that have been charred beyond recognition. The process of handling over the bodies is continuing.
