Kozhikode: An Air India Express flight, carrying 190 people from Dubai, fell into the ditch after it slipped on the runway during a landing here amid heavy rain. Officials said the plane crashed into two parts after the fall, killing 18 people on board. Police and airline officials said the dead included Chief Pilot Captain Deepak Sathe and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.
Sathe was the first wing commander in the Indian Air Force. “Unfortunately the pilots have died and we are in touch with their families in this hour of grief,” Air India Express said in a statement released at midnight. The Civil Aviation Ministry said that flight number IX 1344, operated from Dubai by B737, slipped on the runway at Kozhikode at 7.41 pm on Friday. “There is no news of a fire at the time of landing.” The ministry said, the aircraft had 184 passengers, including 10 newborns, two pilots and four crew members. It was a flight under the Vande Bharat Mission to bring Indians back home.
Malappuram District Magistrate K Gopalakrishnan confirmed 18 deaths in a conversation with reporters. Their identity has not been established yet. He said that the condition of some of the injured is critical. Rias, a rescued passenger, said the aircraft circled the airport twice in the air before landing. He told a TV channel, “I was in the back seat. There was a loud voice and I don’t know what happened after that. ” Another passenger, Fatima, said that the aircraft came down with great force and moved forward. The DGCA statement said that the aircraft did not stop after landing on the runway-10 and broke into two after reaching the end of the runway and falling into the ditch.
Air India Express has only B737 aircraft in its fleet. In the pictures shown on the TV of the accident site, the plane is seen broken in two parts and there was a lot of debris and stuff scattered around. Support centers are being built in Kozhikode, Sharjah and Dubai.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri tweeted that he is very sad and distressed by the plane crash. He informed that the relief teams of Air India and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are being immediately dispatched from Delhi and Mumbai. He tweeted, “Every effort is being made to help the passengers. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a formal investigation into the accident. ” He said, “Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 was coming to Kozhikode from Dubai. The aircraft slipped off the runway due to rain and fell into two parts, falling 35 feet deep. ” In another tweet made at 12 o’clock in the night, he said that the rescue operation has been completed.
He said, “Two investigative teams of Air India, Airports Authority and AAIB will leave at two o’clock in the morning and five in the morning. All have been evacuated from the aircraft. Rescue work is now complete. The injured are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. ” Amid the rain, rescue personnel including local civilians and police were quick to take out the injured men and women from the aircraft. The aircraft broke into two huge pieces with a loud sound and the passengers could not understand what happened in a moment. There was a scream in the area.
Rescuers drove people out. During this period, four to five-year-old children were seen sticking in the lap of rescue workers and the passengers’ belongings were scattered there. The local people also ran for help after hearing the loud voice. A local man said that he ran towards the airport after hearing the loud sound. He said, “Young children were trapped under the seats and it was very sad. Many people were injured. Many of them were in critical condition. ” He said, “The legs were broken … My hands and shirt were soaked with the blood of the injured.” Another person involved in the rescue operation told the TV channel in an interview, “The injured pilot was pulled out of the plane by breaking the cockpit.”
