New Delhi: At least five MBBS students, one PG resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist doctor of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad were killed and over 60 medical students injured when an Air India plane crashed into the college complex, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) claimed.
The search operation at the crash site is still going on and many are feared buried in the debris, FAIMA national vice president Dr Divyansh Singh said. "Bodies that have been found were totally charred," he added.
The London-bound Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed into the medical college complex and burst into a ball of fire moments after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, possibly killing almost everyone on board in one of the country's worst air disasters.
There were 242 people on board, including 12 crew members. Of the 230 passengers on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, Air India said earlier in the day in a statement.
"As of now, at least five medical students, one PG resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist doctor from the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad have been killed and over 60 medical students have been injured," Singh said.
"As per the information I have received so far, the plane after losing its balance crashed over the boys hostel building of the BJ Medical College. And as it was a lunch time most of the students and resident doctors were there for lunch," he said.
There was no official count of those killed even hours after the the crash.
As rescuers struggled to find survivors in the charred wreckage and pull out the injured, many of them with grievous burns, officials tried to assess the human magnitude of the disaster. Unofficial reports said up to 25 people in the medical complex could also have died.
According to Air India, of the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. The other 12 people on board were two pilots and 10 crew members.
The search was also on for the aircraft's black box -- the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder -- for clues to understand what happened in the last crucial moments of the doomed flight to London's Gatwick airport.
The Indian Medical Association expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash at Ahmedabad.
"We extend our heartfelt prayers for the speedy recovery of all those injured," the IMA said in a statement.
A team of doctors from the IMA, Gujarat branch assisted by the IMA-Medical Student Network has been promptly deployed to the incident site and City Hospital, Ahmedabad to assist in emergency medical care.
"IMA stands in solidarity with the families of the victims during this difficult time. We are committed to providing all possible medical support and coordinating with local authorities for relief efforts.
"This tragedy reminds us of the importance of rapid response and unified support in moments of national crisis," it said.
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