A deep sense of shock spread after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad. The nation is in grief, and many unanswered questions continue to hang over it. The tragic accident, which claimed the lives of 241 people, has triggered a complete investigation as families begin the heartbreaking task of identifying loved ones.
The aircraft, on its way to London Gatwick with 242 people on board, crashed into a densely populated area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon, engulfing buildings in flames and claiming lives both in the air and on the ground. Among the dead were two pilots, ten crew members, and 24 civilians, which also included four medical students who lived in the hostel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site Friday morning, accompanied by Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Civil Aviation Minister K. R. Naidu. He met survivors at the Civil Hospital and the British-Indian national Vishwas Kumar Ramesh.
Investigators have since recovered one of the two crucial black boxes, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), from a nearby rooftop. The search continues for the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), which is essential to understand the moments that lead to the crash. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a formal investigation, and a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has also inspected the site.
The tragedy has struck hard in places like Pimpri Chinchwad, where 22-year-old Irfan Shaikh, a young crew member, was from there. Irfan had joined Air India just two years ago and was onboard when the plane went down. His family is still waiting for possession of his body and mourns the loss of a son who had only just begun to fly.