The final radio message from the pilot of Air India 171 bound for London was a distress call of 'Mayday, mayday,' moments before the tragic crash that claimed the lives of over 270 individuals.

During a briefing by India's aviation authorities, it was revealed that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of the flight, contacted air traffic control less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport at 1:39 pm on Thursday.

Secretary of India's aviation ministry, Samir Kumar Sinha, stated that upon receiving the pilot's emergency call, there was no response from the pilot, and the plane went down shortly after.

Initial investigations indicated that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner reached a height of 650ft after takeoff, then rapidly descended and crashed in Meghani Nagar, 2km from Ahmedabad airport.

The tragic crash resulted in the loss of all but one of the 242 individuals on board, making it one of India's worst aviation disasters in recent history.

The collision with a hostel also claimed the lives of at least three student doctors, a doctor's heavily pregnant wife, as well as several laborers and vendors in the vicinity.

Indian aviation authorities refrained from speculating on the cause of the crash but assured that all theories surrounding the incident would be thoroughly investigated.

The flight data recorder, or black box, has been recovered and is currently under scrutiny by investigators, with a comprehensive assessment expected to be completed within three months.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu mentioned that decoding the black box would provide crucial insights into the crash sequence.

A team of UK aviation accident experts arrived in Ahmedabad to assist in the investigation, as the death toll rose to at least 274 by Saturday morning, with bodies still being recovered from the wreckage.

Family members of the victims expressed frustration over delays in receiving the bodies of their loved ones, as the process of identifying charred and dismembered bodies slowed down the return of victims to their families.

The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was described as a 'miracle' by experts and was recovering in a hospital in Ahmedabad.