18 confirmed dead in Air India plane tragedy

Eighteen people, including the two pilots, are now confirmed dead in the Air India Express plane tragedy. The plane with 190 on board from Dubai skidded off the runway and broke in two while landing at Kohikode in Kerala on Friday evening amid heavy rain.

All on board have been evacuated after a nearly three-hour operation. About 112 have been injured and are in hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. There were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members on board the aircraft.

The flight was part of the Vande Bharat programme that has been bringing back Indians from abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan are visiting the site today.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and informed him about the arrangements made for rescue and medical support. The Prime Minister has promised the assistance of the Union Government”, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Kerala said in a tweet.

Three relief flights had been arranged to Kozhikode in Kerala to assist passengers and their family members affected by the plane crash a day ago.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai will remain open on Saturday to help those who need assistance to travel to Kerala and provide information about the crash of the Air India Express flight that skidded off a hilltop runway and broke in two while landing in heavy rain at an airport in Kozhikode, killing at least 18 people.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Boeing 737 aircraft on a flight from Dubai to Kozhikode overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport. There are indications that the pilot tried twice to land.

Wing Commander Deepak V Sathe, who was the chief pilot, was a decorated former fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force who flew planes for Air India before he went on to Air India Express flights.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was described as very experienced in flying Boeing 737 planes.