Preliminary images from the crash site show the aircraft divided into two parts, with debris all over the area.
While expressing distress over the Air India Express plane crash at Kerala’s Kozhikode Airport that killed at least 17 people on board, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday that the Bureau of Investigation of Aircraft Accidents will conduct a formal investigation into the accident, PTI reported.
At least 17 people were killed, including the pilot and co-pilot, after an Air India Express flight with 191 passengers (including crew) en route from Dubai, as part of Vande Bharat’s repatriation operations, passed the runway from landing at Kerala’s Kozhikode Airport amid heavy rain and fell into a 35-foot valley before splitting into two pieces earlier tonight.
“Every effort is being made to help the passengers. The AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Office) will conduct a formal investigation, ”said the minister on Twitter. Air India, AAI relief teams are being dispatched from Delhi, Mumbai to investigate the incident, Puri said.
Before Puri’s announcement, the Civil Aviation Ministry had said that flight IX 1344 operated by a B737 aircraft from Dubai passed the runway in Kozhikode at 7:41 p.m. on Friday. “No fire was reported at the time of landing,” he noted. A statement from the DGCA said that after landing on runway 10, the plane fell into the valley.
“According to initial reports, rescue operations are underway and passengers are being transferred to hospital for medical attention,” the ministry said.
Air India Express is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India and has only B737 aircraft in its fleet.
Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he directed the authorities to the scene to provide all assistance to those affected. He also spoke with the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, in this regard.
Hurt from the plane crash in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover as soon as possible, ”tweeted the prime minister.
Like Mangaluru, Kozhikode Airport has a tabletop runway that was carved out of a hill. The runways at these airports, which are located at the top of the hills, create the optical illusion of being on the same level as the plains below when a pilot arrives to land.
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