Top Asian News 3:36 p.m. GMT

Death toll in Indian plane crash climbs to 270 as search teams find more bodies

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — 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 Saturday. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. Recovery teams working until late Friday found at least 25 more bodies in the debris, officials said. 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.

King Charles III marks Air India tragedy at Trooping the Colour

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III and other members of the royal family in uniform wore black armbands and observed a moment of silence during his annual birthday parade Saturday as the monarch commemorated those who died in this week’s Air India plane crash. Charles requested the symbolic moves “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy,” Buckingham Palace said. An Air India flight from the northwestern city of Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground.

Sole survivor of Air India crash describes failed takeoff and disbelief at being alive

NEW DELHI (AP) — The lone passenger who survived an Air India crash couldn’t believe he was alive when he opened his eyes and was surrounded by flames, debris and charred bodies. Viswashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, was on the flight headed to London that crashed minutes after taking off from India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. The accident killed 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. Recovery teams working until late Friday found at least 25 more bodies in the debris, officials said. It was one of India’s worst aviation disasters and the first crash for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner since the widebody, twin-engine planes went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

What to know about the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — The Air India plane crash this week was one of India’s worst aviation disasters, killing 241 people on board and several people on the ground. Indian authorities said Friday the investigation into the crash was underway and is expected to include experts from the plane’s maker Boeing and U.S. aviation regulators. The Air India plane crashed minutes after takeoff Thursday afternoon in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Surreal images captured both the plane’s last moments and the horror of the crash site, with rescuers picking through smoking debris as they searched for survivors. Here’s what is known about the crash: The lone survivor was a passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin.

News that one man survived the Air India plane crash weighs on some other sole survivors

News of the sole survivor of an Air India plane crash that killed the other 241 people aboard has led to endless online fascination, but it has also stirred up painful feelings for a handful of others who have had similar fates. Tens of thousands of people have searched for details about Vishwashkumar Ramesh since Thursday’s crash, according to Google Trends. People have commented on social media that the idea seems unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle. But it has happened more than a dozen times before. George Lamson Jr., who was the lone survivor of a Galaxy Airlines crash more than 40 years ago, said such stories always deeply affect him.

Australian man shot and killed at a villa on the tourist island of Bali

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities were searching Saturday for two Australian gunmen suspected of fatally shooting an Australian tourist and injuring another at a villa on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. The shooting just after midnight on Friday at Villa Casa Santisya near Munggu Beach in the district of Badung killed Zivan Radmanovic, 32, from Melbourne. The second victim, who is 34 and also from Melbourne was beaten, said Badung Police chief Arif Batubara. “We cannot yet determine the motive,” Batubara said, adding that an investigation is underway. The two Australians were rushed to hospitals in Denpasar, the provincial capital.

Cambodia bans Thai movies and TV shows in latest border feud tit-for-tat

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia escalated its cold war with Thailand on Friday when it announced a ban on Thai movies and TV shows and a boycott of the neighboring country’s international internet links. Tensions between the Southeast Asian countries have soared since an armed confrontation in a border area on May 28 that each side blamed on the other and which left one Cambodian soldier dead. Cambodian officials said the import and screenings of Thai movies would be banned, and that broadcasters would be ordered not to air Thai-produced shows, which include popular soap operas. The government said it would inflict a financial blow on Thailand by rerouting its international internet traffic through other countries instead.

2 Chinese scientists will stay in jail while accused of bringing biological material to US

DETROIT (AP) — Two Chinese scientists accused of smuggling or shipping biological material into the United States for use at the University of Michigan will remain in custody after waiving their right to a hearing Friday in federal court. Yunqing Jian and Chengxuan Han said in separate court appearances in Detroit that they would not challenge the government’s request to keep them locked up while their cases move forward. “This is a constantly evolving situation involving a large number of factors,” Han’s attorney, Sara Garber, told a judge. She didn’t elaborate and later declined to comment. Han was arrested Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.

China and Hong Kong national security authorities launch 1st publicly known joint operation

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s national security authorities in Hong Kong and the city’s police launched their first publicly known joint operation, raiding the homes of six people on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. The police’s statement on late Thursday did not disclose the identity of the six people suspected of breaking the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law between November 2020 and June 2024. Beyond their homes, officers searched the office of the organization involved and seized exhibits such as bank documents and devices for further investigation, according to the statement. The six people were required to surrender their travel documents.

Mongolia gets a new prime minister who pledged to address the economic demands of protesters

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — The new prime minister of Mongolia has pledged to address the economic demands of protesters after their daily rallies led to the fall of his predecessor. Lawmakers approved former parliament speaker Zandanshatar Gombojav as prime minister by an overwhelming majority in a vote late Thursday night. His election appeared to mark the end of several weeks of political uncertainty in a still-young democracy of 3.4 million people that is sandwiched between much larger China and Russia. The new leader faces multiple challenges including high inflation, a looming government budget deficit and fears of power shortages this winter.