There is only one survivor amongst the 242 passengers aboard an Air India Dreamliner after the plane crashed into a busy residential neighbourhood minutes after takeoff.Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8, left Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 pm local time heading for London’s Gatwick Airport, carrying 169 Indian citizens, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese travellers, and one Canadian. CBC reports that the Canadian is the wife of a dentist in Mississauga.Witnesses said the aircraft never seemed to climb properly before diving into Meghani Nagar, a crowded neighbourhood less than five kilometres from the airport..Flames and thick smoke rose above the concrete homes and the dining hall of a nearby medical school, where several students were eating lunch. Local officials confirmed more deaths on the ground but have not released a total.A British national Viswashkumar Ramesh is the only known survivor."30 seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly. When I got up there were bodies all around me," said Ramesh..Air India has released the first photos and names of the crew members who died when their Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed moments after take-off.Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had about 8,200 flight hours and was in command of the aircraft.Mumbai-born First Officer Clive Kunder, credited with roughly 1,100 flight hours, served as co-pilot. Local outlets say he completed his training at Florida’s Paris Air Flight School..Rescue crews worked through choking heat and smoke to extinguish the fire, search apartments, and recovered bodies. Firefighters used cranes to reach the upper floors of the hostel, smashing windows to carry out injured residents. Local hospitals reported dozens of people seeking help for burns and smoke inhalation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “a national tragedy” and pledged full support for families. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has opened an investigation, focusing on why the plane failed to gain altitude. .Investigators plan to analyse cockpit voice and flight data recorders retrieved late Thursday.The 787-8 launched in 2011 and has enjoyed a strong safety record. Aviation analysts say this disaster is the first fatal crash involving the 787-8.Authorities say clearing debris and formally identifying victims could take days.
