Highlights
- Families marked one year since the Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
- AAIB says its final investigation report is still being analysed.
- Relatives continue to seek answers about the cause of the disaster.
- The crash killed 260 people, making it the deadliest air disaster in a decade.
Families of those killed in last year's Air India plane crash marked the first anniversary of the disaster on Friday, remembering their relatives and expressing frustration over the lack of answers a year on.
The Boeing 787 crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad in western India on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people in the deadliest air disaster in a decade.
As families gathered for prayer vigils on Friday, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said its final report into the cause of the crash was still not ready.
"Evidence gathered and the results of various examinations are currently being analysed," the AAIB said in a statement.
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the "investigation continues with diligence and professionalism".
At the crash site, mourners offered prayers and laid flowers, while some questioned the pace of the investigation.
Pilot groups question probe ahead of Air India crash anniversary
"It's been a year -- the government is not doing anything," said Kinjal Patel, who lost her mother.
The crash killed 241 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
Those who died included 200 Indians, 52 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
'Just tire us out'
Some families said they doubted a final report would provide the answers they are seeking.
"I don't think anything will come from the report," said Samir Sheikh, whose 22-year-old son Irfan was a cabin crew member on the flight.
"It's been a year... they will just tire us out."
British law firm Stewarts, which represents several bereaved families, said it would continue supporting its clients as they seek answers.
"Establishing the truth is not only critical for the families seeking answers, but to ensure that lessons are learned and future loss of life is prevented," law firm partners Sarah Stewart and Peter Neenan said in a statement.
Lawyer Ayush Dubey said some families he represents had received documents that appeared to offer payment if they gave up the right to pursue future legal action.
Air India did not immediately respond to Dubey's claim.
Suresh Patni, a driver, returned to the site where the aircraft crashed and burst into flames, killing his teenage son Akash at the family's tea stall.
"He was a good student and could have done really well for himself," Patni told AFP as he placed flower garlands on a framed photograph and a life-size cutout of his son, and lit lamps in his memory.
Fragments of bags, clothing and a melted shoe remained half-buried in the scorched ground, alongside trees with burned trunks.
"It pains us when we hear an aeroplane flying overhead," Patni said, adding that the family's home is near the flight path.
Nearby, a woman wept while holding a framed picture of family members who died.
'Unanswered questions'
As required under international law, the AAIB released a preliminary report one month after the crash.
The 15-page report said fuel supply to the aircraft's engines was cut off moments before impact, raising questions about possible pilot error.
It also included a conversation between the captain and co-pilot regarding the fuel supply being cut off, with two brief sentences leading to theories of pilot suicide.
The report drew criticism.
It did not explain why the fuel switches were turned off or whether the cause was pilot action or a malfunction.
Only one passenger survived the crash, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. He has said he has "significant psychological scars" from the disaster, in which his brother died, as well as "constant unanswered questions" about why it happened.
In Ahmedabad, Vijay Sengal recalled the aftermath of the crash.
A sanitation inspector at a nearby hospital, he was among the first people to try to rescue victims.
"When we tried to pick up bodies, the body wouldn't come... instead, it was someone's hand, someone's leg," he said.
He added that he and many others avoid the crash site after dark because they believe it is haunted.
"We believe in gods and also in souls," he said. "Those passengers sitting in the plane, maybe they still have some work stuck, their last wish still unfulfilled."
(With inputs from agencies)
