Air India Flight #A1171, carrying 242 passengers, crashed on Thursday immediately after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, killing all but one passenger and an untold number on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed for London’s Gatwick Airport. It crashed onto a medical college hostel during the lunch hour.

This crash is the worst aviation disaster in a decade. The sole survivor is a British national of Indian origin who is in a hospital being treated for their injuries. The man told Indian media that he heard a loud noise after the plane took off. Passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian.

Details of Air India Crash

Ahmedabad police chief G.S. Malikindicated that the bodies recovered include both passengers and people killed on the ground. A senior police official in Ahmedabad, Vishakha Dabral, said early on Friday that 269 bodies had been taken to the main hospital there so far. Mr. Dabral said that the exact toll would emerge only after DNA testing.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the plane to crash. Officials at the crash site said the aircraft probably skidded after it came down, damaging buildings, before bursting into flames. Sections of the plane, including its tail, were seen sticking out of the damaged hostel dining hall.

A video verified by The New York Times, taken from the rooftop of a building about a half mile south of Ahmedabad’s airport, shows the jet descending steadily over a cluster of buildings before crashing. A large explosion is visible over the horizon.

Lone Survivor

Air India confirmed that the passenger who survived the crash was Viswash Kumar Ramesh. According to a brother, Nayan Ramesh, Viswash had been on vacation with another brother, Ajay, who was also on the plane. Viswash Ramesh told the Hindustan Times that, “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed.”

Mr. Ramesh had been seated in seat 11A on the plane. A stunned Mr. Ramesh called his family moments after he escaped the wreckage of the plane that he could not explain how he survived the crash. “I don’t know how I am alive,” Mr. Ramesh said to his brother Nayan.

Investigation

The lawyers for a Boeing engineer requested that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) release a report on its investigation into safety concerns that the engineer had raised regarding the 787 Dreamliner. The lawyers, Debra S. Katz and Lisa J. Banks said on Thursday that an investigator from the agency told them in December that an inquiry was complete and a report would be forthcoming, but one has not yet been released.

It could take months or years to determine the cause of the crash, but safety experts questioned why the plane appeared to descend so soon after takeoff. Though this type of plane has been under scrutiny for years, the Dreamliner had never been in a fatal crash, according to Cirium, an aviation data firm.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. FAA officials said they are deploying teams to India to assist in the investigation. The plane’s black boxes, with the flight data recorder and voice recorder, had not been recovered yet.

Reaction

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet on Thursday.

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

And King Charles III took to social media, thanking the first responders on the scene in Ahmedabad.

“My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning. Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations as they await news of their loved ones. I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time.”