India’s government is urgently inspecting all Boeing 787s after a devastating Air India crash that claimed at least 270 lives this week, the aviation minister said on Saturday, adding that the authorities were investigating all possible causes.

The co-pilot of Air India Flight AI171 may have made a fatal error, causing the crash that killed 241 people onboard and dozens more on the ground, an aviation expert has claimed.

Indian authorities have ordered what they called “extended surveillance” of all Boeing 787 aircraft in the country’s fleet while they investigate the cause of Thursday’s crash of an Air India plane.

Air India crash likely to trigger India’s biggest aviation insurance payout - The total liability could range from £166m to £220m, according to estimates

At the hospital in Ahmedabad, family members were giving DNA samples, waiting for official confirmation of their loss in the Air India disaster, and remembering their loved ones.

AHMEDABAD, India >> The investigation into the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source said on Friday, as the aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing-787 fleet.