At least 16 people were killed after an Air India Express plane with 191 on board from Dubai skidded off the runway and broke in two while landing at Kerala’s Kozhikode on Friday amid heavy rain, the police said.
Among those killed was Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe, one of the pilots of Flight IX-1344, authorities said. The second pilot may have died as well, sources said.
All on board have been evacuated and at least 112 injured have been taken to hospital, authorities said.
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.
Television images from the site showed part of the fuselage of the Boeing 737 jet ripped apart with debris strewn all over.
The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area around 7:40 pm. A greater tragedy was averted as the plane did not catch fire. Emergency services personnel were seen working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.”❐
Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020
