The Indian prime minister called the scene of the accident saddening

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday morning to visit the site of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamlinercrashthat killed at least 290 people a day earlier.

Just one passenger survived the crash on the London-bound flight, which had 242 people on board, including 12 crew members. The total death toll stands at 290, as the plane hit a hostel for doctors when it crashed, claiming additional lives.

"The scene of devastation is saddening," Modi said in a post on X. "Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath."

According to Air India, there were 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national on board.

After visiting the crash site, Modi went to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he met the lone survivor of the crash, Ramesh Vishwashkumar, a 38-year-old British citizen. Ahmedabad police said Vishwashkumar, who was sitting near the emergency exit, managed to jump off the plane. He is being treated for his injuries.

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me," Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. "Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."

Footage from the wreckage area on Thursday showed rescue efforts, with bodies being retrieved and injured individuals, many suffering from burns, being rushed to the nearby city civil hospital for treatment.

The cause of the crash is unclear but the pilot had issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff, Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said.

Boeing, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years due to a series of safety and quality control issues. Most notably, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded globally between 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

(RT.com)