At least 270 bodies have been recovered after a London-bound Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad this week, a hospital official told reporters on Saturday.

Management installed by the Tata Group had spent three years struggling to undo a reputation for shoddy operations earned during decades of state ownership.

News of the sole survivor of an Air India plane crash that killed the other 241 people aboard has led to endless fascination online.