All but one passenger were killed when an Air India plane bound for London crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Thursday, in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. The airline said in a statement that of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. “The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital,” it said.
Here’s all the key things you must know about the Air India Ahmedabad crash:
1. The Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London was Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. It was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital.
2. CCTV footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. Part of the plane crashed into a medical college hostel during lunch hour.
3. The twin-engine plane had reached an altitude of 625 feet (190.5 meters) at a speed of 174 knots, or about 200 miles per hour, according to data from Flightradar24.
4. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the deceased.
5. The sole survivor of the crash is a British national of Indian origin and is being treated in a hospital, the airline confirmed. The man told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after Flight AI171 took off.