Mournful families of Air India plane crash victims are waiting for answers as the government has set up a special committee to determine the cause of the accident.
The death toll from Thursday's Air India plane crash, which occurred shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London, has risen to 279, with 38 on-ground deaths having been confirmed.
Anger is mounting as the families await details on the DNA identification process for their loved ones, and they're waiting for more than one answer.
"Our kids have died. Whose carelessness is this? Who is responsible? I am also troubled about Air India not paying attention to the many complaints against their planes. Why was this plane chosen for a London flight? Does human life have no value?" asked Rafique Memon, a father who lost his loved ones in the crash.
The Indian government said on Friday that a high level multi-disciplinary committee will probe the cause and upgrade the standard operating procedures for aviation safety. The committee will deliver its assessment in three months.
In the meantime, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is being assisted by teams from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the European Safety Agency and others to investigate the cause of the crash.
Data from the recovered flight recorder is being processed and analyzed, as are the videos of the ill-fated plane crashing down.
The investigation team will examine not just technical faults, but operational lapses and maintenance history.
"It has had 14 years of perfectly good flying and good maintenance and operation history. And now we see this out of the blue. And I think that's exactly and precisely why this investigation is a global affair. This time, there’s no chance of any part or any bit of this investigation being brushed under the carpet because we have global stakeholders involved," said Mark D. Martin, an aviation expert in India.
The Air India flight had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on board when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat state. There were also 12 cabin crew members on board.
Families of Air India plane crash victims waiting for answers as investigation underway
Families of Air India plane crash victims waiting for answers as investigation underway
Families of Air India plane crash victims waiting for answers as investigation underway
