
The Indian police chief has confirmed to the Associated Press that there are no survivors from the tragic accident of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed this afternoon shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.
"It appears there are no survivors from the plane crash," GS Malik stated.
According to him, because the plane crashed in a residential area with apartments and offices, it is very likely that local residents are also among the victims, as the building in which the plane crashed is a doctors' dormitory.
"We are working to determine the exact number of victims," he added.
The plane was carrying 244 people on board, including passengers from India, Britain, Portugal and Canada.
The collision occurred shortly after takeoff, when the plane had reached an altitude of about 190 meters. Emergency services continue to search the scene, while authorities have launched investigations to determine the causes of the tragic accident.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, just 11 years old, was considered one of the safest in the airline industry and had had no previous technical problems.
According to local authorities, the pilot had issued a "Mayday" emergency signal before the crash. The weather was stable and without atmospheric disturbances, which has shifted the focus of the investigation to a bird strike, which is suspected to have damaged both of the plane's engines.
Aviation experts, including Marco Chan and Saurabh Bhatnagar, said that every indication so far indicates that the plane lost power shortly after takeoff, consistent with an incident of this type. Analyst Sanjay Lazar noted that this is the first time in 14 years that a Dreamliner has crashed, making the event even more shocking for the industry and for Boeing, which is also under pressure over problems with the 737 MAX model.
Search and rescue operations continue, while authorities have launched investigations to fully elucidate the causes of this tragedy.