Plane Crashes While Landing in Kerala, India
An Air India Express flight coming from Dubai has crash landed at an airport in Kerala, India, killing several. The plane had been bringing home people trapped abroad by the coronavirus outbreak
At least 17 people, including both pilots, were killed and more than 100 injured when an Air India Express jet crash landed at Kozhikode airport in the Indian state of Kerala on Friday.
The Boeing-737 had been completing a special repatriation flight to bring back Indian residents who were stranded outside of the country due to the coronavirus. International commercial air travel has been halted in India because of the spread of COVID-19.
Civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri said the plane overshot the runway, which is situated on top of a hill, and went about 10 meters (32 feet) down a slope before breaking into two pieces.
Heavy rain complicated the landing.
Rescue operations at the scene had been completed but an investigation would be required to determine the cause of the crash, Puri added.
There were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft, Air India said. The flight had been coming from Dubai.
Local media showed dozens of ambulances on the scene.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was "pained" by to learn of the accident.
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
Kerala has been hit by heavy rainfall in recent days, triggering landslides that resulted in at least 15 deaths on Friday. Nearly 50 people are missing and feared trapped in debris following a landslide in Kerala’s eastern district of Idukki. / dw.com
Breaking: Air India Express flight has overshot the runway and crash landed at Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur, India. Around 190 people were on board and injuries are unknown at this point. pic.twitter.com/XBh1ljdlCW
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) August 7, 2020