Latest News
Black box found at Air India crash site as families wait for answers
A black box has been found at the site of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India’s civil aviation minister said on Friday.
The flight data recorder was recovered within 28 hours by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed.
All but one of the 242 people on the London-bound flight died when it crashed into a residential area less than 60 seconds after take-off on Thursday. An official told the BBC that at least eight people on the ground were also killed.
“The recovery of the black box marks an important step forward in the investigation” and will “significantly aid the inquiry” into the disaster, Kinjarapu said.
Planes usually carry two black boxes – small but tough electronic data recorders.
One records flight data, such as altitude and speed. The other records sound from the cockpit, so investigators can hear what the pilots are saying and listen for any unusual noises.
AAIB is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, helped by teams from the US and UK. Boeing’s chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, said the company was supporting the investigation.
Air India said there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft when it crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT).
Flight AI171 was scheduled to land at London’s Gatwick Airport at 18:25 BST.
On Friday, the wreckage was still scattered across the crash site, including the blackened wing of the plane, with large pieces of the aircraft stuck in buildings.
Investigators arrived at the scene and crowds were moved further away from the wreckage.
A doctor told the BBC that they are relying on DNA from relatives to identify the victims. A police official at the post-mortem room told the BBC that the remains of six people had been released to families so far, as their relatives were able to identify them based on facial features.
The sole survivor of the crash, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A on the flight, is still recovering in hospital.
The plane crashed in a residential area called Meghani Nagar and, even though it had just taken off, the impact was severe. Wreckage spread over 200m (656ft), according to responders.
It is still unclear exactly how many were killed on the ground, but the BBC has been told that at least eight people, who were not on the aircraft, have died.
Dr Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital, said four of their students died as the plane crashed into buildings on the campus.
“There were also four relatives of our doctors who were on the campus when the aircraft crashed – they too were killed,” Dr Parikh said.
“We are relying only on DNA matching to identify them and it is something where we simply cannot rush or afford mistakes.
“We are working with sincerity. We want relatives to understand, and be a bit patient. We want to hand over [the bodies] as soon as possible.”
On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 20 minutes at the site of the plane crash.
He did not speak to reporters afterwards but a video posted on his YouTube channel showed him walking around the site and inspecting the debris.
Modi also visited the location of a now-viral image that shows the tail of the crashed plane lodged in a building.
Earlier on Friday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also went to the crash site, later describing the visit as “deeply moving”.
According to data by tracking website, Flightradar24, the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 had completed more than 700 flights in the year leading up to the Thursday’s disaster.
The Air India plane was 11 years old and its most common routes included flights between Mumbai and Dubai, as well as the capital New Delhi and European destinations such as Milan, Paris and Amsterdam.
The plane had operated 25 flights from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick in the past two years.
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet, describing it as a “preventive measure”.
[BBC]
Latest News
Breakdown of the teams and groups of the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US after the final playoffs
Iraq’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has completed the lineup of 48 nations for the tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Lions of Mesopotamia edged Bolivia 2-1 on Tuesday to win the second final of the FIFA Playoff tournament in Mexico. In the first final earlier, Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Jamaica 1-0.
In the other games, Turkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden and Czechia were the final four teams to complete the European quota of World Cup qualification.
Widely considered the most famous sporting event in the world, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be its biggest ever. Forty-eight nations will play instead of the usual 32, with 104 matches in 16 venues across the three host nations.
Argentina will look to defend the trophy lifted by iconic captain, Lionel Messi at Qatar 2022. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will make their debut.
The World Cup’s first game will be a throwback to 2010 when Mexico take on South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City in a replay of the tournament opener then. Football fans will hope the opening goal this year matches the screamer scored by Lawrence Tshabalala from the South African hosts then.
Mexico in group A – which includes South Korea and Czechia – will be one of the toughest of the 12 groups.
Team USA are alongside Australia, Paraguay and Turkiye.
Canada, too, face the challenging task of making it out of a group comprising Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia.
Here’s a breakdown of the 48 teams in the 12 groups:
Group A:
- Mexico
- South Korea
- South Africa
- Czechia
Group B:
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Qatar
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C:
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Scotland
- Haiti
Group D:
- USA
- Australia
- Paraguay
- Turkiye
Group E:
- Germany
- Ecuador
- Ivory Coast
- Curacao
Group F:
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Tunisia
- Sweden
Group G:
- Belgium
- Iran
- Egypt
- New Zealand
Group H:
- Spain
- Uruguay
- Saudi Arabia
- Cape Verde
Group I:
- France
- Senegal
- Norway
- Iraq
Group J:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Algeria
- Jordan
Group K:
- Portugal
- Colombia
- Uzbekistan
- DRC
Group L:
- England
- Croatia
- Panama
- Ghana
[Aljazeera]
A total of 365 US service members have been wounded in action since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to figures released by the Pentagon.
They come from the following divisions:
- Army – 247
- Navy – 63
- Marines – 19
- Air Force – 36
The death toll remains at 13, according to the figures.
[BBC]
The head of Italy’s football federation (FIGC) has resigned, falling on his sword after the men’s national team failed to qualify for a World Cup for a third consecutive time.
Gabriele Gravina revealed he would step down as the country’s top football official following a meeting held at the FIGC’s headquarters in Rome on Thursday.
His announcement came a day after Sport Minister Andrea Abodi called on him to resign.
Four-time World Cup winners Italy fell at the playoffs again on Tuesday, this time after a penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will miss this year’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The shock waves of the latest humiliation for one of the world’s most successful football nations forced Gravina, 72, to go back on his initial plans to wait until a FIGC board meeting next week to announce a decision on his future.
The FIGC said in a statement that a vote for a new president would be held on June 22.
Giovanni Malago, the former longtime head of the Italian National Olympic Committee who was president of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics organisation committee, is reportedly one of the names in the hat.
Before then, head coach Gennaro Gattuso is expected to also step down, while general manager Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy goalkeeper, announced his resignation on Thursday.
Italy’s failure to reach the first-ever 48-team World Cup – which will feature the likes of Cape Verde and Curacao – led Abodi to release a statement saying: “It’s clear that Italian football needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and that starts with changes at the top of the FIGC.”
[Aljazeera]
Breakdown of the teams and groups of the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US after the final playoffs
365 US service members injured since start of Iran war – Pentagon
World Cup 2026: Italy’s football chief resigns after qualifying failure
Iran says it downed two US jets as search for one pilot continues
Showers above75 mm are likely at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, North-central and Eastern provinces after 1.00 p.m.
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