India Orders 787 Dreamliner Safety Checks After Fatal Plane Crash
(MENAFN) India has mandated urgent safety checks on Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft after a catastrophic plane crash in Gujarat claimed at least 265 lives.
The order, issued Friday by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), comes in response to Thursday’s deadly crash of flight AI-171. The UK-bound aircraft plunged into a medical college hostel near Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and crew aboard and 24 people on the ground.
Following the disaster, the Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed the DGCA has instructed Air India to carry out “additional maintenance actions on Boeing 787-8/9 aircrafts equipped with Genx engines.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi surveyed the crash site early Friday. Describing the scene as grim, he wrote on X: "The devastation is saddening," adding that he had met with rescue personnel "working tirelessly in the aftermath." He continued, "Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy."
Of the 272 people on board, just one passenger survived by leaping from the aircraft moments before impact. The plane had departed for London before losing contact near its destination in western India.
Authorities have confirmed the identities of the victims are still being determined. Local police reported recovering 265 bodies from the debris, including residents of the hostel that the aircraft struck during descent. DNA analysis is underway to establish the identities of those killed on the ground.
The final death toll will be confirmed after DNA testing concludes, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said during a press briefing at the crash site on Thursday.
Among the deceased were 169 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese passengers, and one Canadian, officials said.
Rescue efforts continued through Friday morning, with multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), working in tandem.
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