KOZHIKODE— An airplane carrying 190 people crashed while landing in the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in India on Friday, August 7.
The flight IX 1344 of Air India Express was repatriating Indians who had been stranded abroad due to COVID-19 from Dubai to Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, when the accident happened. According to the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft was landing in rainy conditions and overshot the runway. It broke into two pieces after going down 35 ft. into a slope. The airline said the accident happened at around 7:40 p.m.
In the plane there were 174 adult passengers, 10 children, 4 cabin crew members and two pilots on board. As of now, 17 deaths have been confirmed, including the ones of both pilots. Police and fire force personnel assisted in the rescue operation, which according to Puri, has been completed. Several people are being treated in various local hospitals.
Air India Express announced that they would have a special relief flight from Mumbai and Delhi to give humanitarian assistance to the relatives of passengers. Several helplines are also available to answer their questions.
Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, referred to the accident on twitter.
“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,” he said.
