Lucky 13: Horror and relief within minutes

KOZHIKODE: Some of the survivors of the crash still have no idea how they managed to escape death.
Sitting in the 13th row with her three children, Najiya, from Changaramkulam near Malappuram, says she couldn’t believe it when she “opened her eyes and saw the open night sky” after the plane nosedived off the runway. “We were happy to see the lights of the airport as the flight descended. But the plane jolted on landing and swayed violently. Some passengers screamed. I closed my eyes in panic and held my children tight. What followed was a loud, thunderous bang and, when I opened my eyes… the front portion of the plane was gone,” Najiya said from her hospital bed. Doctors are assessing her for a suspected spinal injury.
She managed to step out of the wreckage with her children, who escaped with minor injuries.
Chaliyam native M Salil (28), who was in row 12, said he lost consciousness briefly on banging his head against the front seat after the aircraft plunged off the end of the runway. “I was in for the biggest shock of my life when I woke up to see that the fuselage had broken and the rows in front of me were nowhere to be seen … People were lying in blood, some seeking help,” he added.