Ahmedabad: The black box (formally known as the flight data recorder) of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, has been retrieved from the aircraft’s debris.

The black box is expected to play a crucial role in determining the cause of the crash. It records essential flight parameters such as speed, altitude, engine performance, and cockpit conversations, including pilot communication with air traffic controllers. Despite its name, the black box is generally painted bright orange to enhance visibility during recovery efforts.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), in an official statement, said that it had provided a team to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which assisted in the recovery of the black box.

A press note detailing the rescue efforts by the city’s civic body stated, “The relief and rescue work at the site of the plane crash in Ahmedabad on 12.06.2025 continued through the night under the supervision of the Municipal Commissioner and Deputy Municipal Commissioner. To ensure uninterrupted operations during the night, a total of 10 officers and employees from the Light Department — including the Additional Chief Engineer, Deputy City Engineer, 2 Assistant City Engineers, 2 Assistant Engineers, and 4 Technical Supervisors — were involved.”

The Light Department installed 5 DG sets of 125 kV and approximately 100 LED flood lights of 200 watts.

On 13.06.2025, further operations were carried out with 15 JCBs, 5 excavators, 25 trucks, 1 roller, and 2 heavy cranes belonging to AMC. Additionally, 7 officers, 16 staff members, 1 Chief Fire Officer, 1 Additional Chief Fire Officer, 1 Deputy Chief Fire Officer, 1 Divisional Fire Officer, 3 Station Officers, 16 firemen, and 4 standby fire vehicles from Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services were deployed.

“Today, 40 laborers, 10 engineers, and 3 additional city engineers were provided by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau for the black box search. The team successfully recovered the black box,” the note said.

Teams from the Health, Sanitation, and CNCD departments have been deployed to maintain hygiene at the crash site. The corporation has also arranged two heavy-duty cranes and a technical team to remove the aircraft’s tail section, which is lodged in a nearby building.

So far, AMC has deployed seven mobile medical vans and over 100 medical and paramedical personnel for ongoing relief and rescue operations.

The Crematorium Department has assigned more than 40 staff members to transport the deceased to the post-mortem room. To assist with post-mortem and DNA identification at the Civil Hospital, a team comprising professors, assistant professors, and tutors from Shri Narendra Modi Medical College and Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College has been mobilized.

“After completing the necessary tests for deceased passengers, students, and citizens, ambulance and vehicle arrangements have been made at the Civil Hospital to facilitate their transfer to designated locations,” the statement added.

“To ensure the easy issuance of death certificates, AMC has arranged coordination with employees from the Birth and Death Department of the respective municipal corporation,” the note further stated. DeshGujarat