Kerala airplane crash

Kerala airplane crash: 17 lifeless after Air India aircraft breaks in two at Calicut

07 August 2020 India

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Video captionAftermath of the Kerala airplane crash suggests the airplane damaged in two

An Air India Express airplane with a hundred ninety humans on board has

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crashed at an airport in the southern country of Kerala, killing at least 17 people, officers say.

The Boeing 737, en route from Dubai, skidded off the runway in rain and broke in two after touchdown at Calicut airport, aviation officers said.

The flight was once repatriating Indians stranded through the coronavirus crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated he used to be "pained via the airplane accident".

The rescue operation at the crash website has now been performed and survivors have been taken to hospitals in Calicut and Malappuram, in accordance to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan .

Dozens of humans have been injured, 15 of them seriously, a senior police officer said.

Air India Express stated the two pilots have been amongst the useless .

What do we comprehend about the crash?

Flight IX 1134 was once carrying 184 passengers, inclusive of 10 infants, and six crew.

Indian Civil Defence handout photograph footwear the wreckage of Flight IX 1134 at Calicut airport (7 August 2020)

The aircraft reportedly overshot the runway upon touchdown amid heavy rain

The plane crashed at 19:40 nearby time (14:10 GMT) on Friday, as it tried to land for a 2nd time at Calicut International Airport. The first strive was once aborted with the aid of the pilots due to the fact of the heavy monsoon-season rainfall lashing Kerala.

India's Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, tweeted that the plane "overshot the runway in wet conditions" , then plunged down a 35ft (10.6m) slope, earlier than breaking in two.

He stated a formal inquiry would be carried out by way of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The director normal of India's National Disaster Response Force, S N Pradhan, stated Calicut airport had a "table-top runway" and that the plane fell into "a ditch" after skidding throughout it.

He stated the have an effect on with the backside of the ditch triggered the fuselage to damage in two, and that the the front half of was once "very badly mangled and damaged".

Mr Puri advised broadcaster DD News that first responders had been in a position to rescue the passengers due to the fact the airplane did now not trap fire. Several humans had to be reduce free.

Image copyrightEPAIndian Civil Defence handout picture footwear the wreckage of Flight IX 1134 at Calicut airport (7 August 2020)

Image captionSurvivors have been taken to hospitals in Calicut and Malappuram

At the time of the plane's descent, Kerala used to be being battered via heavy rains, which are traditional in India at this time of year, due to the seasonal monsoon.

Earlier on Friday, dozens of humans have been feared lifeless in Kerala's Idukki district after monsoon-season floods brought on a landslide.

What response has there been?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to categorical his sympathy for "those who misplaced their cherished ones" in the crash.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said: "Very unhappy to comprehend of this mishap. All our emotions are with the passengers and their families."

Rahul Gandhi, who is an MP for a district in Kerala, stated he was once "shocked at the devastating information of the airplane mishap in Kozhikode".

Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan additionally expressed their condolences, as did India's cricket captain, Virat Kohli.

Have there been comparable aircraft crashes in India?

Plane crashes have befell earlier than all through the monsoon season, which lasts from June to September and wreaks havoc throughout south Asia each and every year.

In May 2010, 158 human beings died when an Air India Express flight overshot Mangalore airport runway and crashed.

A comparable incident occurred in July 2019 in Mangalore, prompting an inquiry, however inflicting no fatalities.