The Air India Express aircraft split into two after the mishap at Kozhikode airport on Friday. (Government of Kerala)
Kerala plane crash Live news updates: As many as 19 people were killed in the Air India Express flight crash at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport on Friday after the plane skidded off the runway and fell into a 35-feet valley before splitting. The pilot-in-command Captain Deepak Sathe and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were among those killed onboard the Dubai-Calicut Air India Express aircraft carrying 190 passengers as part of the Vande Bharat Mission.
At least 100 people were left injured in the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain over the tragedy and said he had spoken with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “I have instructed the police and the fire force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur,” Vijayan, who is expected to visit the site today, said. Read in Malayalam
The aircraft, with 190 people on board, was attempting to land in bad weather when it shot the runway around 7.40 pm and split into two after nosediving into a valley 35 feet below. In a statement, the DGCA said, “Visibility was 2,000 metres and there was heavy rain.” It said the flight, IX-1344, shot runway 10. Rescue operations, which went on till 11 pm, are over.
HELPLINE NUMBERS: 0495-2376901 (Helpline number for relatives of passengers); 0483-2719493 (Control room number at Kozhikode airport); 0097165970303 (Control room number at Sharjah airport in UAE); 009710565463903 (Control room number at Dubai airport); 009710543090572 (Control room number at Dubai airport)
A DGCA official today said that the Digital Flight Data Recorder was recovered from the aircraft, while the floorboard was being cut to retrieve the Cockpit Voice Recorder, news agency ANI reported.
Following the incident on Friday, an air traffic control official at Kozhikode airport said, “It had been raining incessantly for several hours. The flight went around the airport twice and then tried to land.” He said luckily the aircraft, which took off from Dubai at 2 pm and was scheduled to land in Kozhikode at 7.27 pm, didn’t catch fire. “We immediately started rescue efforts with the support of local people.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Ministry senior officials, Airports Authority of India and Air Navigation Service members will today hold a meeting in Delhi over the crash landing of the Air India Express flight at Kozhikode on Friday.
Medical personnel in personal protective wear stand as people injured are attended to at the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Friday. (AP)
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan arrived in Kozhikode on Saturday morning. (Source: Government of Kerala)
Keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic, the Kerala health department today announced that all those who took part in the rescue operations will require to go into quarantine. Kondotty, where the airport is situated, is already a containment zone with a high positivity rate. The surviving passengers are being tested for the virus. All those who took part in the rescue operations will also be tested, the department said.
Of the total, 17 persons who were killed in the crash have been identified, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan told reporters.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said: "Eighteen people, including two pilots, have lost their lives. It is unfortunate. At least 127 people are at hospitals, others have been released. Our task would have been much more difficult had the plane caught fire. I am going to the airport."
Data from a popular global flight tracker website shows that the off the tabletop runway at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport appears to have attempted to land twice at the airport. Flightradar24, that tracks the flight in real-time, indicated that the aircraft tried to land twice at the tabletop airport. The data showed the plane looping around the airport before attempting to land. Survivors told local television channels that the aircraft went up and down many times before landing and the disaster occurred after the plane had clearly touched the runway.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will visit Karipur today where the Air India Express flight crash-landed yesterday, ANI reported.
Kozhikode’s runway is surrounded by deep gorges on both sides. Tabletop runways are generally constructed by chopping off the top of a hill, and are often thought of as tricky for landings because of the lack of any margin for overshooting the runway. According to senior government officials, the Air India Express aircraft at Kozhikode did not catch fire upon crashing, thereby minimising casualties. An official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the aircraft seemed to have touched down at higher than usual speed, giving pilots less time to bring it to a halt at a runway that is shorter than usual. Click here to read more.
"Two special relief flights have been arranged from Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, for rendering humanitarian assistance to all the passengers and the family members. AAIB, DGCA and Flight Safety Departments have reached to investigate the incident," Air India Express was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The split Air India Express flight in Kozhikode. (Source: Government of Kerala)
The statement by Air India Express was issued late on Friday night. The death toll is likely to change.
According to local media reports, the death toll in the Air India Express flight mishap rose to 19 early on Saturday.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan arrived at Kozhikode where the Air India flight crash-landed yesterday.
Taxi driver R Rajan, who was one of the first to reach the spot, said he saw passengers trapped inside and luggage strewn around. “Fire units at the airport, the CISF, taxi drivers and local people led the rescue in the initial hours. We were told to help,” he said.
US Ambassador to India Ken Juster expressed condolences on behalf of the US Mission. "We are deeply saddened by the news of the Air India accident in Kozhikode. The victims and their loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers."
The United States Department of State has condoled the Air India Express plane crash landing at Kozhikode airport. In a statement, it said "our hearts go out to those affected by the plane crash in Kerala. We grieve with the family and friends of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured."
The Consulate General of India, Dubai has said the consulate will remain open on Saturday(August 8) at 8 AM to assist all who want any assistance to travel to Kerala or any information related to the aircrash incident. "We are with all the families of injured and deceased and will do our best to assist them," the consulate tweeted.