Air India's parent company to provide over $116,000 to families of each killed in plane crash

NEW DELHI -- Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group, which owns Air India, said it will provide a compensation of 10 million rupees (around $116,854) to the families of each person who was killed in Thursday's plane crash in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

It also announced that it will bear the cost of the medical expenses of those injured and pledged to provide support for rebuilding the medical hostel that was hit in the crash.

"We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171. 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. Tata Group will provide 1 crore Indian rupees (10 million Indian rupees) to the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy," N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, said in a statement.

"We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support. Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the B J Medical's hostel. We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time."

The London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board crashed at the premises of a medical college immediately after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.

According to the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) Doctors Association, one person was killed, while at least seven are reported missing, besides 50 others injured at the premises of B J Medical College, where the flight crashed, causing severe damage to the buildings.

In pictures from the crash site, scattered plates and utensils can be seen lying on the tables in the hostel canteen, indicating that medical students were having lunch at the time of the crash.

The chief executive of Air India, Campbell Wilson, expresses "deep sorrow" following the plane crash.

"This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones," he said in a video statement posted on social media.

"Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now, we are doing," he said.

Air India has announced two special relief flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Ahmedabad for the next of kin of passengers and Air India staff affected by the tragic plane crash.

While authorities are not releasing the figures of the death toll in the crash, India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a press briefing that a lot of people have lost their lives in the plane crash.

A video of the aircraft flying low and struggling to gain altitude shows the plane going down and exploding in a massive ball of fire.

Other videos from the site show thick columns of black smoke rising from the ground.