India plane crash live: Black box recovered from plane crash - as Indian PM meets lone British survivor in hospital

London Gatwick boss offers support to families

The CEO of London Gatwick has offered support to the families of those involved in the Air India crash.

The Boeing 787 was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it crashed on Thursday.

Stewart Wingate said London Gatwick was "very saddened to hear about the accident" and added "our thoughts are with the family and friends of those on board".

“We can confirm flight AI171 that was involved in an accident shortly after departure from Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June was due to land at London Gatwick," he said in a post on X.

“London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is available with information and support.”

Modi mourns Indian politician killed in crash

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met the family of a former Indian politician killed in the plane crash.

Modi says it is "unimaginable" that Shri Vijaybhai Rupani "is not in our midst".

"I've known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times.

"Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the party's ideology. 

"Rising up the ranks, he held various responsibilities in the organisation and went on to serve diligently as Gujarat's chief minister."

Sole survivor recounts crash and how he managed to walk out alive

The Briton who walked out alive from the crash says he "still can't believe" he survived.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only survivor of the 242 people on board.

Ramesh said he thought he "was also going to die" but he then "opened [his] eyes".

"I pulled out the belt from under my seat and tried to escape. Then I managed to do it," he has told NDTV.

'It felt like the plane was stuck'

Ramesh said "within the first mile" after take-off "it felt like the plane was stuck" and "like something had happened".

"Then a light came on, like a green and white light came on inside the plane," he added.

"The pilot was trying to give it a bit of a push to push it forward, but it was struggling. But it went straight into a building."

He said the side where he landed was not the hostel side and as soon as the plane door broke, he "could see that it was open for [him] and [he had] a chance to get out".

Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, said Ramesh was sat in seat 11A, located next to an emergency exit, and "managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door".

'I don't know how I'm alive'

Ramesh's brother told Sky's Shamaan Freeman-Powell their father was on the phone to Ramesh while the plane was still on the runway.

"My dad called him," the 27-year-old said. "And Vishwash said 'oh we're going to take off soon'."

Two minutes later, their father received a video call from Ramesh to say the plane had crashed and he had survived.

"He video called my dad as he crashed and said 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive - how I exited the plane'," Nayan said.

Black box recovered from crash site, police say

One black box has been recovered from the crash site, police sources have told Reuters.

Investigators will begin analysing information from the black box, which often holds key information that can help them work out the causes behind plane crashes.

Black boxes hold data about the flight, including what the pilots were saying to each other in the cockpit, and information such as altitude and speed.

There are two types of flight recording devices: the flight data recorder preserves the recent history of the flight while the cockpit voice recorder preserves the recent history of the sounds in the cockpit, including the conversation of the pilots.

Black boxes are typically kept in the tail of the plane, which is thought to be the section that is usually the least damaged in a crash.

India considering grounding Boeing Dreamliner fleet

India is considering grounding Air India's Dreamliner fleet for safety checks, local media NDTV reported.

Air India operates more than 30 Dreamliners, including the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 versions.

The crash on Thursday, which killed 241 people on board and several people on the ground, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which had been in operation for 12 years.

The plane flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to Flightradar24.

String of plane crashes in last six months - but flying still safest way to travel

While plane crashes are rare – and air travel continues to be the safest form of travel – there have been some notable incidents involving aircraft in the last six months.

On Christmas Day last year, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashed in Kazakhstan during an emergency landing – likely after being damaged by Russian air defences.

Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed.

Four days later, a Boeing 737-800 crashed while attempting to land in South Korea, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. 

On 29 January this year, tragedy struck Washington DC when a passenger airliner and a military Black Hawk helicopter crashed over the Potomac River.

The collision killed all 64 people aboard the plane and the three occupants of the helicopter.

In February, a Delta Connection flight crashed as it landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The aircraft flipped upside down, but miraculously, all 76 passengers and four crew survived the crash.

Despite the recent high-profile crashes, it's worth remembering that safety statistics used by the commercial aviation industry show a steady decline in accidents over the past two decades.

India's PM meets lone survivor and visits crash site

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the crash site and a local hospital this morning. 

The plane hit a building hosting a medical college hostel and burst into flames shortly after taking off yesterday. 

Black smoke billowed from the site near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than five million and the capital of Gujarat, Modi's home state. 

"The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families," he wrote in a post on X.

"We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come."

Footage posted to Modi's official YouTube channel showed him examining the crash site and meeting the only surviving passenger - British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. 

Crowds gathered outside the hospital waiting for Modi to arrive. 

-SKY NEWS