At least 1 survivor among 242 people aboard crashed Air India plane: Report

At least one passenger survived as a London-bound Air India flight with 242 people on board crashed in western India on Thursday, the India Today news outlet reported.

The flight AI171 crashed on to a medical college hostel, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city of Ahmedabad, state of Gujarat. It was headed for Gatwick Airport in the British capital.

The survivor, Viswashkumar Ramesh, was found on seat 11A, the news outlet quoted police as saying.

Meanwhile, 204 bodies were recovered from the site after the crash, multiple news outlets cited Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik as saying.

One of the dead passengers on board was confirmed to be Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat, the Western Indian state where the plane went down.

At least five students were also killed and several injured when the plane slammed into the hostel building, according to officials.

Local officials confirmed at least 50 people were injured in the vicinity of the crash site.

Witnesses said that while some people were inside the hostel during the crash, its staff quarters were mostly empty, with most people out for lunch.

People on the ground injured by the crash, including women and children, were taken to hospitals.

Air India's owner company Tata said the group will provide one crore Indian Rupees ($116,863) to "the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy," while also covering the medical expenses of injured and pledged support in repairing the hostel.​​​​​​​

The airliner said 169 of the passengers on board were Indian nationals, plus 53 UK citizens, seven from Portugal, and one from Canada, in addition to two pilots and 10 members of the cabin crew.