The Indian authorities raised the death toll to 18 this Saturday in the accident of a repatriation plane flying from Dubai to the southern city of Kozhikode, which left the runway on landing and was split in two, while dozens of passengers they are still hospitalized.
Unfortunately, 18 people, including the two pilots, have lost their lives. 127 people are still in hospitals, “said the Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, to the local agency ANI.
The aviation minister reported on Twitter from the scene of the incident that the plane’s black box has been recovered and the Indian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating what happened.
Minister Puri explained that the plane was split in two, the cabin several meters away from the rest of the plane, while on the runway there was a trail of seats, parts of the fuselage and clothes scattered on the mud between both parts.
Unfortunately, 18 people, including the two pilots, have lost their lives. 127 people are still in hospitals, “said the Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, to the local agency ANI.
The aviation minister reported on Twitter from the scene of the incident that the plane’s black box has been recovered and the Indian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating what happened.
Another 127 passengers were injured and The device broke in two when it left the runway after landing and fell down a slope
Abdul Karim, the police superintendent of the city of Mallapuram, close to the Kozhikode international airport and where part of the injured were transferred, told Efe that at least 18 injured remain in critical condition.
The event took place around Friday afternoon, when the Boeing 737NG of the low-cost company Air India Express, a subsidiary of the state-owned Air India, left the runway of Kozhikode airport.
Minister Puri explained that the plane was split in two, the cabin several meters away from the rest of the plane, while on the runway there was a trail of seats, parts of the fuselage and clothes scattered on the mud between both parts.
Another 127 passengers were injured and The device broke in two when it left the runway after landing and fell down a slope
190 people were traveling on the plane, including 174 adult passengers and 10 minors. The plane, which had tried to land unsuccessfully twice, overshot the runway in heavy rain and hurtled down a slope before breaking into two pieces.
The flight was part of the Vande Bharat repatriation program, tasked with facilitating the return to India of its nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The last major plane crash in India took place in 2010, when a Boeing 737 also from Air India Express crashed at Mangalore airport (southwest India), killing 158 people out of 166 passengers on board
