The Fire Department believes the pilots of Air India flight AI 171 saved thousands of lives by making a critical decision within just 15 seconds — choosing to land the aircraft in an open green zone to minimise casualties.

Ahmedabad, Four days after the horrific crash of an Air India plane claimed 270 lives, 99 victims have so far been identified through DNA matching and 64 bodies, including that of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, were handed over to their families, officials said on Monday.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 p.m. on June 12. While 241 persons on board the aircraft died, one passenger miraculously survived.

PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an official statement, confirmed that a second black box has been recovered from the Ahmedabad plane crash site.

The mortal remains of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week, were handed over to his family members by the civil hospital authorities here on Monday.

In the wake of the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash, Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have decided to cancel their upcoming events as a mark of respect. The actors expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and stood in solidarity with those affected by the heartbreaking incident.

Ahmedabad, An air of grief hung heavy on the campus of the B J Medical College and Hospital on Monday, with wailing kin awaiting identification of their loved ones who perished in the June 12 Air India plane crash, and medics who lost their colleagues in the tragedy bravely soldiering on.