Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, says it will pay compensation to the family members of people killed in an airplane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday and cover the medical expenses for survivors.
In a statement released on X, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Group’s holding company, Tata Sons Private Limited, said families will be offered ₹1 crore, equivalent to $116,868.
The company will also pay the medical bills of people injured in the crash, both passengers and those on the ground, and provide support for the reconstruction of buildings at B.J. Medical College, which the Air India flight crashed into.
“We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171,” Chandrasekaran said. “No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured.”
As of Thursday afternoon, the death toll from the crash had risen to over 260 people. That figure includes passengers on the aircraft, students at the medical college, and other people on the ground.
The Air India flight was taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick with 242 people on board when it lost altitude and crashed around 1:30 p.m. local time. Most of the people on board were Indian citizens.
Air India confirmed late Thursday that there was only one survivor from the airplane. The man, a British national, is being treated for his injuries at a local hospital.
According to The New York Times, the survivor has been identified as Viswash Kumar Ramesh. His brother, Nayan Ramesh, confirmed the man’s identity to the newspaper.
CNN reported that Ramesh was assigned seat 11A on the Boeing 787.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is taking the lead in investigating the cause of the crash. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch are also sending teams to India to assist.
