The Indian government has launched a formal investigation into Thursday's tragic Air India plane crash, confirmed the country's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu in a social media post.
According to the latest media reports, a total of 265 dead bodies had already been brought to a local government hospital in Ahmedabad city, where the plane crash had taken place.
Among the dead were 241 people onboard the ill-fated Boeing aircraft, while the rest of the casualties took place on the ground.
The London-bound Boeing 787-8 aircraft, carrying 242 people, crashed earlier on Thursday shortly after it took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 kilometers south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.
The flight had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian, apart from two pilots and 10 cabin crew members on board when it crashed at the premises of a medical college.
The formal probe was initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, said the federal minister.
He added that the Indian government was also constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail.
Following the tragedy, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that it will send an investigation team to India to support the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will provide technical assistance to the NTSB.
Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg on Thursday said a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau regarding the crash. He said that he had spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support.
General Electric (GE) has deployed an emergency response team to India to assist in analyzing engine-related data, as reports indicated that the aircraft was equipped with its engines.
The United Kingdom is sending a team of four air accident investigators to India and the team is expected to arrive in India on Friday afternoon, said the British Department for Transport.
After the Air India crash, Boeing shares tumbled in the New York Stock Exchange, closing 4.79 percent lower on Thursday.
A series of accidents in recent years has weakened investor confidence in Boeing, and the latest crash could further damage the company's stock performance, according to analysts.
India initiates formal investigation into deadly plane crash
