Air India Express aircraft from Dubai to Kozhikode carrying 191 passengers crashed at Kozhikode Airport yesterday at around 7.10 p.m. killing both the pilots.
According to the Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, 19 people have died and 127 people got injured. All the wounded are admitted in 13 hospitals. He stated
Two investigation teams of professionals from Air India, Airports Authority of India and AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 2 am and 5 am. Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals,
Rescue teams and a high-level delegation reached Kozhikode airport in Kerala to investigate the reasons for the crash. The first information reports suggest that the mishap was caused due to Vande Bharat flight overshoot runway while landing.
Kerala Cheif Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan said
Malappuram collector has informed that rescue operations at the site have been completed. All have been transferred to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode,
Kerala is experiencing heavy rains for the past few days and the weather is not so good for the view for the pilots. Both the pilots got killed on the spot. The plane broke into 2 pieces.
Air India has also issued a statement in this regard:
Vande Bharat plane skids off from the runway as it was carrying passengers from Dubai in wake of Caronavirus pandemic. It is a sad moment that just in a few minutes to land safely was awaited by many passengers inside the flight. The pilot and the co-pilot were dead on the spot. The plane fell into the valley immediately after skidding off 35ft. from the runway.
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Fortunately, the plane did not catch fire after the mishap. The airport staff members and local CRPF personnel along with their family members were into the rescue operations immediately.
According to the top CISF officer at Kozhikode airport and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the flight’s pilots aborted landing 2 times and circled the airport several times before the final landing in the heavy downpour rain.