An Air India Express plane with 191 people on board has crashed at an airport in the southern state of Kerala, killing at least 16 people and injuring several others.
India’s aviation authority stated that the aircraft, en route from Dubai, skidded off the runway and broke in two at Calicut airport upon landing.
The Air India Express flight AXB1344 from Dubai to Calicut was part of the Vande Bharat Mission, meant to bring home stranded people from other countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rajiv Jain, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Ministry, said the plane broke into two pieces on impact.
He said that no fire was reported at the time of landing, adding;
There are 174 passengers, 10 infants, 2 pilots & 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft. As per initial reports, rescue operations are on & passengers are being taken to hospital.
Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah stated;
Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF [National Disaster Response Force] to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Plane crashes have happened before during India’s monsoon season, which lasts from June to September and wreaks havoc across South Asia every year.
In May 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express flight overshot Mangalore airport runway and crashed. A similar incident happened in July 2019 in Mangalore, prompting an inquiry.
