Kozhikode: At least twenty people were feared dead and several others injured when an Air India Express passenger plane overshot the runway and broke into two after landing in the southern city of Calicut in Kerala in heavy rain on Friday, police said.
The Boeing-737 plane flying from Dubai had 191 passengers and crew on board, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. The flight had a total of 191 passengers, including two pilots.There were 174 general passengers, 10 infants and five cabin crew members. “We believe there are twenty people dead, and several others injured, we are still in the middle of the rescue effort,” area police superintendent Abdul Karim said.
Heavy rains in Kerala are being cited as the primary reason for the accident to take place. The flight split into two pieces while landing, with debris flying all over the place. The flight is also said to have fallen into a 30 feet deep gorge while landing, which is another reason for the accident. Thankfully, the flight did not catch fire, making things a lot better. The incident took place during heavy rainfall, at around 7:40 PM.
Both the pilots are said to have been killed in the accident, along with other fatalities. At least 50 passengers have been injured and have been admitted in the nearest hospital. It is feared that 50 more passengers are still stuck in the flight debris, especially following the landslide that took place in the hilly Idukki district, during the early hours of Friday. Nearly 15 people had died because of this landslide. Several politicians have expressed their distress over the incident.
The flight is said to have made 2 attempts to land, by circling the airport, before the fateful landing. After overshooting the runway, the disastrous incident took place.
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