Air India pays interim compensation to kin of 166 Ahmedabad crash victims

Private carrier Air India on Saturday said it has paid the interim compensation to the families of 166 victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash last month.

Besides, payment to the families of another 52 victims is in the process, it added.

The plane crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI171.

Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.

On June 14, Air India announced that it will provide an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh, or approximately GBP 21,500, to the families of each of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash to help address immediate financial needs.

"Air India has released the interim compensation to the families of 147 of the 229 deceased passengers and also the 19 who lost their lives at the accident site," the airline said in the statement.

In addition, the requisite documents of 52 others have been verified, and the interim compensation will be released progressively to the families, it noted.

The interim payment will be adjusted against any final compensation, the Tata Group airline clarified.

The Tata Group has also registered 'The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust', dedicated to the crash victims. It has pledged to support the reconstruction of the BJ Medical College Hostel infrastructure, which was damaged in the accident, as per the release.