New Delhi : The death toll from the crash of an Air India passenger aircraft has risen to 279, according to Indian authorities.
India’s Minister of Home Affairs said that the final official death toll will be announced following the completion of DNA identification tests.
The previous toll had reported 265 fatalities, including passengers, crew members, and residents near the crash site.
According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the aircraft crashed last Thursday less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad in northwestern India, heading to London.
The incident marks the first crash involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a long haul aircraft that entered service in 2011.
Police confirmed that one of the aircraft’s black boxes has been recovered.
Only one survivor has been reported, a British national.
