Air India crash death toll hits 270, families wait for bodies

The death toll in the deadly Air India plane crash rose to 270, with families increasingly getting upset due to delays in handing over the bodies of those killed in the tragedy in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for London's Gatwick Airport began losing height seconds after take-off on Thursday and erupted in a fireball as it hit buildings below, in what has been the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
At least 270 bodies have been recovered from the site of the plane crash, the president of the Junior Doctors Association at B.J. Medical College, told reporters.
Only one of the 242 passengers and crew survived while others were killed as the plane struck the medical college's hostel as it came down.
The crisis has cast a shadow on Air India, which has for years struggled to rebuild its reputation and revamp its fleet after the Tata Group took over the airline from the Indian government in 2022.
Tata's chairman said the group wants to understand what happened, but "we don't know right now."
Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down.
Dozens of anxious family members have been waiting outside an Ahmedabad hospital to collect bodies of loved ones killed in the crash, as doctors were working overtime to gather dental samples from the deceased to run identification checks and DNA profiling.
Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four relatives in the incident, said he was not getting any answers from authorities and was "very hassled".
"We have lost our children .. we are not understanding anything. Please help us get information about our children. Tell us when they are going to release their bodies," he said.
Another father was upset about not able to get the body of his son, Harshad Patel, saying he was told by authorities it will take 72 hours for DNA profiling. "The authorities are trying to help but our patience is running out," he said.
Most bodies in the crash were badly burned and authorities are using dental samples to run identification checks.
Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist, told reporters yesterday they had the dental records of 135 victims, which can then be matched through reference to victims' prior dental charts, radiographs or other records.

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Irish Examiner

3 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

Letters to the Editor: My mother had a happy experience of residential care

My mother's experience of senior residential care was happy. She felt safe there. My sister became her daily visitor, sitting with her and interacting with the staff and residents around her. In quick time, we all knew whether anyone from our area worked there. We knew what work the residents had done during their lives and how their families were noteworthy or/and connected to us in any ways. When we visited, we were introduced to everyone in their turn and made use of to benefit the community. I was called upon to supply poetry notes for someone's child sitting State exams, a small favour my mother or sister asked of me. In no time at all, a village atmosphere grew around us, with all the care and love that a village affords to its locals. My sister's commitment to my mother was immeasurable. I am humbled; as her infrequent brother, I turned up some of the time. Here, in Dungarvan, my father-in-law had an excellent experience of residential care. He was literally across the road from where we live. One of his daughters works in that facility and spent all of her days working around him. My wife became his daily visitor, dropping in for hours in the evening and visiting other residents in turn while she was there. His old school friends and dancing partners sat by the beds around him or made for lively banter in the day room. How they loved to party. Staffed by people, known to his children, whose parents and grandparents were the backdrop to his life, his carers loved to listen to his stories. Workers from across the world were treated with the same lively fun and given the 'céad míle fáilte'. Somehow, it became his personal and individual experience of being in care. Con O'Sullivan, Dungarvan, Co Waterford Kindness in wake of Air India bombing My mother, Barsa Kelly, was aboard the downed Air India plane in 1985. The anxiety of not knowing what to expect, combined with our terrible grief, was almost intolerable. The compassion, sympathy and support that we received from the moment we arrived in Cork somehow made our ordeal more bearable. The people of Cork made us feel as if it was their tragedy as well as ours. We were met by two wonderful ladies when we landed, a nurse and a sister — we think their names were Geraldine and Lorna. We met Garda Donal McCarthy at the then Cork Regional Hospital, and we will be forever indebted to him for his kindness and patience. His gentle way was a crutch for us. He later phoned us at the hotel to say how glad he was we had found my mother. We were extremely touched by this gesture. We are also indebted to Donal Cullinane and Dan Lordan who went above and beyond their required duty to help us. Without their keen observation regarding the matching of the identification forms, we would not have found mom. With their kind manner they made sure we were never rushed, yet everything they did was concise and professional. We would like once again to thank the staffs of the Imperial Hotel and of what's now Cork University Hospital, as well as the taxi drivers who refused to let us pay them. Not a person at the hospital passed me without asking if I needed something or just wordlessly put an arm around me. The death of my mother will scar us forever, but we will always remember the exceptional kindness with which we were treated by the people of Cork. We have never encountered kinder souls. Lorna Kelly, Ontario, Canada What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here EU's stance on Iran An open letter to Ursula von der Leyen: As an Irish citizen and, consequently, also a citizen of the European Union, I felt the need to write to you. I hope you will consider my following concerns, which I share with full respect. Irish radio news reported this week that after Israel's attack on Iran and after your conversation with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, you reported, while attending the G7 summit in Canada, that, in this context, Israel has the right to defend itself, Iran is the principal source of regional instability, and Iran is the source of terror in the Middle East. Naturally, I respect your right to have the belief that Iran is the principal source of regional instability in the Middle East. However, the events of history, including very recent history, also calls attention to the extraordinary source of terror and regional instability in the Middle East, which Israel's actions have so blatantly displayed. Regarding the longer history of Israeli abuses perpetrated against the Palestinians, I refer to the eye-opening work of the internationally respected Jewish Israeli historian Ilan Pappé. I am not suggesting that one should necessarily accept or reject what Prof Pappé shares. But I am suggesting that it is important that people at least allow themselves to become aware of his historical research and then, after having done so, to make up their own minds. Also, regarding what is occurring in the Middle East and beyond, I am reminded of Orwell's words from his book 1984: 'The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.' It is not only a fact that Israel has the right to defend itself, but it is also a fact that every country (even Russia) and every individual person has the right to defend themselves. However, the manner of how a country or an individual carries out their defence of themselves is not only a different fact but also a very different fact, especially if it includes barbarity, war crimes, and maybe even genocide against thousands of innocent civilians. In a radio interview I gave yesterday, the interviewer asked me to say something about the purpose of our Thinking Centre here in Ireland. I answered that one of our main objectives is to try to understand more deeply how prejudices (pre-judge) can so unknowingly take hold within our human minds and, consequently, unbalance how we perceive and speak about the events we encounter. I include myself in this as well. During this interview, I also drew attention to those enduring wise words from the Bible: 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.' However, in this conflict taking place between Israel and Iran, both sides not only throw stones at one another but also fall into that form of adolescent consciousness in which each side exclusively blames the other for the stones they themselves are throwing. I think outside forces strongly announcing too early the taking of sides of either combatant in this type of conflict can result in the unintended implication of injecting further energy into these 'adolescent' impasses. In these very dangerous situations, such as this war between Israel and Iran, I think the primary responsibility of all those outside powers not directly involved in the conflict is to participate in a manner that helps de-escalate the crisis before it gets even more dangerously out of control. Afterwards, when peace and stability return, then representatives of governments and institutions can indulge in the luxury of expressing their personal views on who was to blame, or who was most to blame. However, by so prematurely and so publicly announcing of the taking of the side of Israel against Iran, how can Iran be expected to listen, trust, or have any kind of constructive relationship with any peace initiative the European Union may later propose? This is why dialogue, especially the spirit of dialogue, is so important because otherwise people tend not to notice certain adverse implications that their contemplated actions can lead to until after they have taken their action. The words fusion and confusion are deeply linked. If over-repeated, this constantly repeated fact — Israel has the right to defend itself — can easily lead to perceptual confusion. It requires extra care and attention to avoid the illusion created by our human tendency to conflate two very different facts into the same perceptual space. Because this can so easily result in deflecting or obscuring our attention away from facing a fact that we are unknowingly trying to avoid fully facing. Or avoiding the uncomfortable responsibility of having to take the actions that are necessary for the preservation of integrity and overall justice. Wishing you much future success in the important role you have been entrusted with. Eddie O'Brien, Director of The Thinking Centre, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Welcome for Rose Here, in Portland, our version of the Rose of Tralee is called the Rose Festival. The new Queen of Rosaria, Ava Rathi, plans to attend Trinity in the autumn. Will the Government of Ireland demand access to her social media accounts? I kind of doubt it. Bill Gallagher, Portland, Oregon, US Read More Letters to the Editor: Death trap food aid centres in Gaza

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

• Irish Examiner

Air India Flight 182: Cork photographer recalls taking iconic image of 1985 bombing tragedy

One of the most poignant photographs ever printed on the front page of this publication was that of the lines of dead bodies in the temporary morgue set up in Cork for the victims of Air India flight 182. A bomb placed on board the flight by militants exploded off the Kerry/West Cork coast on June 23, 1985, with the plane plunging into the Atlantic. Forty years on, photographer Denis Minihane can still recall second by second the lead-up to snapping that iconic photograph, which also showed a group of medics gathered in the background of the image. Now retired after spending 47 years as a press photographer, the then 26-year-old snapper had been looking forward to a busy afternoon shooting sports photos in Thurles for two Munster hurling games. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading But when news broke of the horror air disaster off the west Cork coast, Denis' day took a different turn. He was not to know it as he returned from Thurles to the offices of the Cork Examiner on Academy Street in Cork city centre but his image would become synonymous with the tragedy unfolding in the sea off West Cork. Denis's image from the temporary mortuary set up in the then Cork Regional Hospital was syndicated across the world, and was featured in the New York magazine, Life, which was very influential at the time. Former Irish Examiner photographer Denis Minihane's picture of the remains of victims from the Air India Flight 182 air disaster on June 23, 1985, in a temporary morgue at Cork Regional Hospital (now Cork University Hospital). The world exclusive photograph taken through a window was published in newspapers and magazines all over the world including LIFE magazine and won a news picture of the year award the following year. Photo: Denis Minihane Looking back, the Skibbereen-born photographer said: 'It was the most significant photograph I took in my career really. Sadly it was one of a disaster. Such is life.' Denis retired last year and recalls entering the photographic trade after seeing his father Michael work as a photographer with the then Cork Examiner. After his Leaving Certificate, Denis entered the dark room in the Cork Examiner in October 1976, not knowing that one of the most iconic images of Irish press photography history would his. He recalls: 'On the morning of the 23rd of June 1985, I was marked to go to Thurles to cover two Munster hurling championship games and the 11 o'clock news came on on RTÉ Radio 1 and it said that Air India flight 182 had gone down off the Irish coast. "So we came back to Cork and parked the car and came into the office and it was rather difficult to get into the photographic department because it was packed with photographers who had arrived in Cork from different countries around the world.' He says of himself that he was just a 'young fella' at the time, aged 26. Forty years on, photographer Denis Minihane can still recall second by second the lead-up to snapping that iconic photograph. Picture: Chani Anderson He continues: 'I went out and attended the press conference (at the Regional Hospital) and there was a huge gathering of photographers and camera crews at it. I managed, through enquiries, to find out where the remains of the people taken from the wreckage were being kept and it was a temporary morgue that was set up in the gymnasium. "I got as far as the door and I obviously was not able to get any further so I went around the back of the building and I could see that there was a very high window. "But it was just down to my level so I could just about see in and didn't know if I could get a photograph or not because there was a very high thick net curtain, full length, inside the window, down on to the window sill. "So I could barely see into the room. I was by the window for quite a while and it was getting late in the evening. It must have been 10.30pm, may be 10.30/11 o'clock at night and I saw someone coming towards the window with a ladder and I move, I step back around the side of the building. I thought I had been seen but obviously I hadn't because what it was was that somebody had gone up and opened the window to let some air in to the building. Seeing his chance, Denis decided to have another attempt at seeing into the mortuary and recalls: 'That's how I had a gap of maybe two inches to get the photograph through and I managed to get a few frames.' But even then, he didn't know if his attempt was successful, in a time when photography took more patience than today. He explains: 'In those days, you had to come back to the office and process so I didn't know whether I had a photograph or not and it was a nervous seven or eight minutes developing the film – an anxious wait. Anxious also because it was also an upsetting scene that I had seen. It was a poignant scene.' He recalls seeing the images develop and night editor Liam Moher writing the caption for his now famous image, which included the words 'world exclusive picture'. He says: 'I just didn't understand the significance of it I suppose. It was over my head. I had done what I had done because it was my job and he had asked me to go and do it but I didn't realise how significant the picture was going to be in the following days and years afterwards.' He is mindful of the pain and suffering of the families and friends of those who were lost in the Air India disaster. He continues: Looking back at the photograph now, it evokes memories of that awfully sad day and my heart still goes out to the families and friends of all those people who died so tragically in that awful disaster when the bomb exploded off the Irish coast. The flight was due to stop over in London's Heathrow before travelling to India for stops in Delhi and Mumbai. Passengers were primarily from Canada, but others on board came from India and Britain, as well as other countries. More than 80 of them were children. Two men accused of murder and conspiracy relating to the crash were found not guilty in March 2005. It was alleged that the bombing was plotted by Sikh extremists in Canada as revenge on India for its storming of Sikhism's Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. Read More A selection of images chosen by the Irish Examiner picture desk

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

• Irish Examiner

'We prepared for survivors': A Navy officer's memory of Air India Flight 182, 40 years on

Hundreds of people including relatives of those who died in the Air India disaster will attend the 40th anniversary commemoration for the 329 passengers and crew who were killed when a bomb exploded on the transatlantic flight off the coast of West Cork. The main commemoration will be held on Monday, June 23, in the village of Ahakista, the nearest point on land to where Air India flight 182 exploded, scattering bodies and debris into the Atlantic about 190km off the Irish coast. This commemoration will get under way at 8am and is expected to be attended by a number of senior Canadian and Indian diplomats, along with Irish politicians and members of the emergency services, some of whom who are now retired but were involved in the original search and recovery operation. The navy will be represented by its current commanding officer Commodore Michael Malone. The plane's wreckage being brought ashore. A memorial built in the West Cork coastal village was unveiled exactly one year after the 1985 disaster. Its centrepiece is a sundial on a rounded stone base. Created by Cork sculptor Ken Thompson, it is designed to capture the sun's rays at 8.13am, which is the exact time the Boeing 747-237B disappeared from radar. The flight was heading from Montreal for a stopover in London and then to Delhi. It was blown up in Irish airspace while at an altitude of 9,400m. Of those killed, the majority were of Indian descent. There were 280 Canadian citizens, 27 British and 22 Indian passport holders onboard, plus other nationalities. There were more than 80 children onboard. Initially, it was not known what the cause was, but it was quickly determined a bomb had been placed onboard. It was planted by Sikh separatists and was the world's deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the 9/11 Osama Bin Laden-led attacks on the US in 2001 killed more than 3,000. The jet's bombing remains the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history and the worst loss of life ever suffered by Air India. On June 13 of this year an Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in the tragic loss of 241 lives on board and at least 29 fatalities on the ground. The Indian Embassy in Ireland lauded the local community for it response to the 1985 disaster. It said: "The spirit with which the people of Ahakista and the nearby areas rose to the occasion in solidarity with the families of the victims is a saga but a story largely unknown. Apart from emergency assistance in identifying the bodies and locating and collecting the debris, they opened their hearts and homes to complete strangers and generously put them up in their hour of grief. They continue to do so to this day. The Naval Service mounted a major recovery operation, which was aided by the RAF, which sent in Sea King helicopters. In total, 131 bodies were recovered in what was the biggest off-shore search and recovery operation ever mounted by the Irish State. 'We prepared for survivors' Captain James Robinson, Officer Commander Naval Operations, aboard the le Eithne in 2000. It was coordinated by Lieutenant Commander James Robinson, who captained LÉ Aisling, which was one of five ships at the scene. At the time, Robinson's ship had been searching for Spanish trawlers fishing illegally off the Kerry coast when it picked up an alert at 8.52am from Valentia Radio, which said an aircraft had disappeared from radar screens and gave him the likely position of where the plane came down. He said initially they were not told what kind of aircraft was missing, but soon got the awful news it was an Air India Boeing 747 with 329 people on board. 'We prepared for an awful lot of survivors. Spare blankets and sheets were taken out of stores. The sick bay was prepared. Soup was put on the stove. We were going to spare no effort to save as many of those poor people as possible,' he said. LÉ Aisling arrived at the crash scene shortly after 11am. One large merchant ship, the Laurentian Forest, was in the vicinity while overhead a Royal Air Force Nimrod aircraft was circling the area dropping smoke floats to mark concentrations of wreckage. The senior navy officer decided on two objectives. The most important was to recover as many bodies as possible, and as quickly as possible. Robinson was lucky to have an experienced diving team onboard who went out on Gemini RIB (rigid inflatable boats) to gather as many bodies as they could. Though exhausted, the diving team refused to be replaced when Robinson ordered it. They launched 14 times during the day to recover the bodies. The bodies were wrapped in sheets and stowed below decks. The engineers' office and the shipwright's workshop were designated as make-shift morgues. The first body recovered from the crash site arriving at Cork Airport. At the height of the search, Mr Robinson was controlling the movements of 19 ships, a British Nimrod and American Hercules which supplied over-head surveillance technology, and eight military helicopters supplied by the British and US. He also enlisted the help of Spanish trawlers in the area, after finding one crewman on a merchant ship in the area who could speak English and Spanish and he was detailed to relay messages to the trawlers. The merchant vessels also acted as landing pads for helicopters bringing back bodies and other rescue helicopters transported them to the mortuary at the then Cork Regional Hospital, now CUH. When night fell, Robinson released the ships and trawlers from the operation. 'Aisling was left alone in the midst of all that desolation. For the first time since it kicked off, I had time to reflect. I hoped that one day I would look the people who did this in the eye. "I then reflected on what had been achieved by the people under my command and I felt immensely proud but humbled. Most of the people on Aisling were under 25 and many just teenagers. They carried out everything I had asked of them without question,' he said. Robinson has not been to the commemoration for some years but will be attending on Monday where he will lay a wreath alongside several of his former shipmates. 'The families of those who died are getting older so it could be the last big commemoration,' he said. Local school children will form a choir at the ceremony, which is being organised by Cork County Council. A number of locals helped to recover vital pieces of wreckage as well, especially those living by the shore. One was James O'Mahony. At the time he lived close to Trarurim Strand, which is about 10km west of Ahakista. 'People living by the shore would find bits and pieces [of the plane's wreckage] and hand it over the council who would pass it on to the relevant authorities,' Mr O'Mahony said. Mr O'Mahony has since moved to just 1km from the Ahakista memorial and will attend the commemoration this year because it's the 40th anniversary. He has been to a number of them before and met some of the relatives of those who lost their lives, mainly from India. Most of the victims were Hindus and lived in Ontario. The second ceremony of the day will take place at St Michael's Cemetery in the Cork suburb of Blackrock, where two of the victims are buried. Anna Maria Alexander and her daughter, Rena, were both laid to rest in a single grave there. They are the only victims buried in this country as all the other bodies recovered after the plane went down were taken to be buried in their respective home countries by relatives. Finbarr Archer, who has driven lord mayors of Cork for many years, has looked after their graves for the past 40 years. Well-known Cork figure, Finbarr Archer. In June 1985, Finbar was working as an undertaker when he was stationed at the makeshift morgue in Cork following the Air India Flight 182 disaster. In the aftermath, he personally arranged the burial of two unclaimed victims and has continued to tend their graves at St. Michael's Cemetery in Blackrock ever since. Picture Chani Anderson He worked as an undertaker's assistant at the time of the disaster, documenting the names of the dead and helping out at a makeshift mortuary. Mr Archer said that Ann Marie Alexander's husband and a son were also on the flight, but their bodies were never recovered. 'The mother and daughter's bodies were never claimed. We believe that's probably because they didn't have any relatives left,' he said. So, he took it upon himself to tend to their graves ever since and is organising the commemoration at St Michael's Cemetery. 'We will be having local school children playing music on the day and there will be representatives from the fire service and gardaí in attendance. We will also have some of the guards and firemen who were involved in the aftermath of the recovery operations. We'll also have a colour party of UN veterans who'll parade with the Irish Tricolour and Indian and Canadian national flags,' Finbarr said. The ceremony is open to the public and will get under way at about midday. Meanwhile, the navy has revealed as a mark of respect to those lost it has commissioned a commemorative plaque which will be unveiled at Haulbowline naval base during a special ceremony later this summer. Among those invited to the unveiling will be the crewmembers who served proudly on board LE Aisling at the time of the tragedy and as a recognition the navy intends to present them with a commemorative military coin. Read More It is a miracle, says lone survivor of Air India plane crash