Air India plane crash: Wreckage being shifted to airport premises in Ahmedabad

The Gujarat police on Sunday started shifting the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India plane, that crashed on June 12 on a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, to the airport premises here, officials said.

The London-bound aircraft had crashed into the hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 270 persons, including 241 on board. One passenger survived.

The wreckage was being moved from the crash site to GUJSAIL (Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited) building, which is in the airport premises, and will be in custody of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an official said.

“We have started moving the wreckage of the Air India plane, that crashed here, from today to the GUJSAIL building,” Joint Commissioner of Police, Sector 2, Jaipalsinh Rathore told PTI.

“It will take 48 to 72 hours to shift the entire wreckage,” he said.

“The wreckage will be under the custody of the AAIB, which is investigating the plane crash,” the official said.

Apart from AAIB, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading a parallel international investigation into the plane crash.

At least 247 persons killed in the crash have so far been identified through DNA matching and 232 bodies handed over to their families, as per officials.