18 Dead including both Pilots in Air India Crash

In a tragic incident, 18 people including both the pilots died when Air India Express flight operating under Vande Bharat mission slipped off the runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala. The Boeing 737 overshot the runway at 7.41 PM and slid into a valley, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who has ordered an investigation.

Breaking: Air India Express flight has overshot the runway and crash landed at Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur, India. Around 190 people were on board and injuries are unknown at this point. pic.twitter.com/XBh1ljdlCW

— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) August 7, 2020

Before making the tragic landing the pilot had averted landing twice because of the torrential rains which has been lashing the city since Thursday.

There were a total of 184 passengers on board including cabin crew and babies. Most of the passengers were returning home after loosing their job due to the pandemic. The Air India flight IX-1344 flew from Dubai to Calicut to bring back Indians stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The plane did not catch fire and a tragedy of large scale was averted.

HELPLINE NUMBERS: 0495-2376901 (Helpline number for relatives of passengers); 0483-2719493 (Control room number at Kozhikode airport); 0097165970303 (Control room number at Sharjah airport in UAE); 009710565463903 (Control room number at Dubai airport); 009710543090572 (Control room number at Dubai airport)

Images from the crash site