Passenger plane crash in Southern India leaves at least 17 people dead and 46 more critically injured.
Police report mentioned that the Air India Express jet left with 190 passengers and crew on board. The plane departed Dubai on Friday. The plane crash happened while landing in the Kozhikode airport, Kerala India.
Air India Express plane with nearly 200 people on board skids off runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala – Indian media report https://t.co/4sZUMzs9c4
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 7, 2020
Abdul Karim, a senior local policeman, told AFP early on, “I can confirm at least 14 deaths overall. Another 15 passengers have critical injuries. It is still a developing situation.”
Senior police officer, Sujith Das added, “we have at least 89 people, many of them with serious injuries, admitted at different Kozhikode hospitals.”
Hours later, the death toll rose to 17, with two of the pilots now confirmed dead, per CNN. One of which was a former Air Force fighter pilot.
Das added that all survivors are currently injured. Some are not as fatal as others. The total number of victims includes 174 adult passengers, 10 toddlers, and four cabin crews.
Pic from Karipur airport. It was Air India Express plane pic.twitter.com/PhNNtg2roM
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) August 7, 2020
What caused the crash?
Authorities say that the plane crashed into a valley. The whole jet split into two. The heavy downpour and poor visibility of the runway caused the accident.
According to Amitabh Kant, the government planning commission head, the runway is situated on a hilltop. Steep rocky formations surround the area. This makes it difficult for the plane to land.
Kant added that “the incident happened because of heavy rains and poor visibility. This is truly devastating.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones.
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
Modi ensured that the authorities are already providing assistance to the affected.
The Indian government handled the Air India flight involved in the plane crash. It is carrying Indian repatriates due to countries affected by the novel coronavirus.
Featured image used courtesy of Anna Zvereva/Flickr