Kozhikode: An Air India Express flight with 191 passengers on board, from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing at Kozhikode on Friday.
At least 16 people, including two pilots were killed in the incident. Several people were admitted to Kozhikode medical college following the tragic incident. “Deeply anguished & distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode.
The Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions & went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces,” Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
“A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces,” said Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The teams of National Disaster Response Force and local police immediately rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation. The Air India Express plane coming from Dubai skidded off the tabletop runway at the Karipur airport and fell into a dug-up sort of place, said SN Pradhan, director general, NDRF.
“The Air India Express flight which was coming from Dubai and was landing in the Calicut airport at around 7.40 pm to 7.45 pm, seems to have skidded off the runway and we must remember that it is a tabletop runway. So, it seems to have crossed that runway and fallen into a dug up sort of place,” Pradhan told media. “There is a difference between the runway and the other part of the airport. And because of the impact, the fuselage broke into two and the front portion was badly damaged,” he added.
Civil aviation regulator said the visibility at the airport was around 2000 meters at the time of the incident and the airport was witnessing heavy rains. The plane fell into a 30 feet deep gorge in the valley, it added.
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