Ahmedabad, India
CNN
 — 

Just yesterday at Ahmedabad airport, Sangeeta Gauswami clung tightly to her only child, her heart swelling with pride as she saw off her 19-year-old son from their home in the western Indian state of Gujarat, to begin a new chapter at university in London.

Now, less than 24 hours later, she sits frozen in shock and grief, in the same clothes she wore for that farewell – her world upended by a devastating crash.

Her son, Sanket, was among the 242 people aboard Air India flight AI171, which plunged from the sky just seconds after take-off – leaving only one survivor, and hundreds of shattered families.

Three officials from India’s National Disaster Response Force told CNN on Friday that a flight recorder from the doomed flight had been located, a crucial step which could provide families with vital clues as to why the plane came down.

The Boeing Dreamliner crashed into a medical college hostel, killing passengers, crew and people on the ground, bringing the death toll to at least 290 – one of India’s deadliest plane crashes in decades.

For hours, Gauswami clung to the faintest hope that Sanket had somehow made it out alive. But by Thursday night, hope had given way to heartbreak as she faced the unimaginable: offering her DNA to help identify her only child among the dead.

“We have had no news,” she chokes out, sat with her sister, who is also crying. “We keep asking but no one will tell us.”

DNA samples have been collected from more than 190 relatives at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and are being verified against retrieved bodies from the crash site. It’s an agonizing process that could take up to 72 hours, according to state official Harshit Gosavi, who is overseeing the operation.

Grief fills the hospital hallways as families grapple with the loss of loved ones. In one corner, an elderly woman’s cries pierce the quiet sobs of others.

Friday’s sorrow is a stark contrast with the chaos of a day earlier, when relatives rushed to the hospital in the hope of finding their loved ones alive.

Manisha Thapa’s family sits shattered after rushing from their home in the eastern city of Patna on the first flight they could find after learning of the plane crash – knowing very well that the 27-year-old was among the cabin crew on the flight.

“I had spoken to her one day ago,” her mother says, voice trembling as she wipes away tears with a tissue offered by her daughter’s friend.

“We speak daily. She had called to let me know we won’t be able to talk because she would be on a long flight.”

Manisha’s father hasn’t stopped weeping since he gave his DNA sample Friday morning.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad Friday, inspecting the crash site and meeting the sole survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.

Ramesh’s story is being hailed as nothing short of a miracle. Video of him walking to help crash victims with a bloodstained shirt, and lying in hospital with a few cuts and bruises, are circulating widely on social media.

“At first, I thought I was going to die… I realized I was still alive and saw an opening near my seat. I managed to unbuckle myself. I used my leg to push through the opening and crawled out,” he told Indian state broadcaster DD News.

“Everyone around me was either dead or dying. I still don’t understand how I’m alive.”

While the authorities’ immediate focus is on confirming the number of casualties and providing support to the victims’ families, attention will soon turn to what caused the crash.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said it will lead a team that is heading to India to assist local authorities’ probe into the crash. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has also formally offered its assistance to Indian authorities, following the crash.

SEOUL, South Korea
AP
 — 

North Korea says it has repaired its damaged second destroyer and launched it into the water in the presence of leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said it launched the destroyer – the second it built this year – off the east coast of the country on Thursday. KCNA cited Kim as saying the country’s two destroyers will play a big role in improving the North Korean navy’s operational capabilities.

Kim reiterated previous claims that his naval buildup is a justified response to perceived threats posed by the United States and its allies in Asia, which in recent years have expanded their combined military exercises and updated their deterrence strategies to counter Kim’s nuclear ambitions.

He said the North will respond to the threats by his rivals with “overwhelming military action” and vowed to build a navy with “long-range operational capabilities.”

Last month, North Korea said the ship was damaged in a failed launch, sparking fury from Kim, who has vowed to build a stronger navy to cope what he calls escalating US-led threats against his country.

Kim earlier said the failed launched was caused by criminal negligence. North Korea’s state media later said that authorities detained four officials including the vice director of the Workers’ Party’s munitions industry department over the botched launch.

North Korea’s extremely secretive nature makes it virtually impossible to independently confirm its announcement on the ship’s repair. Outside experts earlier said it remained unclear how severely the 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged and questioned North Korea’s announcement that it could repair the ship’s damage at an early date.

The damaged warship was North Korea’s second known destroyer and seen as a crucial asset toward Kim’s goal of modernizing its naval forces. It was in the same class as the country’s first destroyer unveiled in April, which experts assessed as the North’s largest and most advanced warship to date. Kim lavishly praised that ship, which was launched in the western port of Nampo, saying it advances his goal of expanding the military’s operations range and nuclear strike capabilities.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN
 — 

Here’s a look at the Korean War. Although hostilities ceased in 1953, there has been no formal end to the war.

Korea was under Japanese rule before and during World War II, and was divided into two parts after the Japanese surrender. The Soviet Union occupied the area north of the 38th parallel and the United States occupied the area south until 1948.

Two new ideologically opposite countries were established in 1948: The Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

North Korea wants reunification under communist rule.

The first war in which the United Nations played a role. When asked to send military aid to South Korea, 16 countries sent troops and 41 sent equipment or aid. China fought on the side of North Korea, and the Soviet Union sent them military equipment.

The United States sent about 90% of the troops that were sent to aid South Korea.

The first war with battles between jet aircraft.

The truce talks lasted two years and 17 days.

There has never been a peace treaty, so technically, the Korean War has never ended.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
South Korea – (217,000 military, 1,000,000 civilian)
North Korea – (406,000 military, 600,000 civilian)
China – (600,000 military)

Source: Dept. of Defense
Hostile: 33,739
Non-Hostile: 2,835

November 1947 – The United Nations General Assembly approves elections to be held throughout Korea to choose a provisional government for the entire county. The Soviet Union opposes this.

May 10, 1948 – The people of South Korea elect a national assembly, setting up the government of the Republic of Korea. The north refuses to take part.

September 9, 1948 – North Korean Communists establish the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

June 25, 1950 – 135,000 soldiers from the communist North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) cross the 38th parallel and invade Republic of Korea (ROK).

June 25, 1950 – The UN Security Council denounces North Korea’s actions and calls for a cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of the NKPA to the 38th parallel.

June 26, 1950 – US President Harry S. Truman directs General Douglas MacArthur to evacuate American dependents from Korea and to assist the ROK Army.

June 30, 1950 – Truman orders ground troops into action.

July 1950 – In the first month of the war, US soldiers kill significant numbers of Korean civilians under a bridge, near a village called No Gun Ri. It is unclear whether the soldiers were ordered to kill civilians or acted on their own.

July 5, 1950 – For the first time since the end of World War II, US troops go into battle, at Osan, 30 miles south of Seoul. Private Kenneth Shadrick of West Virginia becomes the first American casualty of the Korean War.

June 23, 1951 – Jacob Malik, a Soviet delegate to the UN, proposes a cease-fire.

July 10, 1951 – Truce talks begin at Kaesong.

October 25, 1951 – Truce talks are moved to Panmunjom.

November 27, 1951 – Both sides agree the existing battle lines would be the final dividing line between North and South Korea if a truce is reached in 30 days.

April 1952 – Truce talks are deadlocked over voluntary repatriation.

October 8, 1952 – Truce talks are adjourned.

April 26, 1953 – Truce talks are resumed, and the Communists agree to voluntary repatriation.

July 27, 1953 – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chinese People’s Volunteers and the UN sign an armistice agreement. The Republic of Korea refuses to sign. However, hostilities cease within 12 hours. Terms of the armistice include creation of the demilitarized zone, the DMZ. Each side is 2,200 yards from a center point. The DMZ is patrolled by both sides at all times.

June 2000 – The Pentagon says a clerical error mistakenly added more than 20,000 noncombatant deaths to the total US casualties in the Korean War.