'Mayday' was pilot's final call before tragic jet crash

The Aviation Ministry on Saturday said that the last words of the ill-fated Air India (Al) flight Al-171 radioed by the cockpit crew were a desperate "Mayday, Mayday," moments before the London-bound aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad which led to the deaths of 241 people.

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Search and recovery teams continued scouring the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters for a third day after the Air India flight fell from the sky and killed at least 270 people in Gujarat state, officials said on Saturday.

Dr Dhaval Gameti at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad told The Associated Press the facility had received 270 bodies, adding that the lone surviving passenger was still under observation for some of his wounds.

"He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon," Gameti said on Saturday.

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that eight of the 34 Dreamliner planes in the Indian fleet have already been inspected and checks on the remaining aircraft will be completed urgently.

The Union Minister emphasised that the government has started strict safety inspections of all Dreamliner aircraft in India.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said, "We have directed the DGCA to carry out extended surveillance of all Boeing 787 planes. The ministry is taking this incident very seriously."