Kozhikode: Seventeen people, including pilot and co-pilot, died when an AirIndia Express flight from Dubai with 180 people on board skidded off the runway while landing at Kozhikode airport(Karipur Airport) in Kerala on Friday.
The flight-IX1344-from Dubai, part of India's repatriation mission 'Vande Bharat', skidded off the runway at Kozhikode airport at around 8pm today and suffered major damages. Reports from the local media said the pilot, Captain Deepak Vasanth, died at the spot and more than 100 passengers suffered serious injures. The injured are being treated at the nearby hospitals.
There were 174 passengers, 10 infants and 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew on the aircraft, a stament from the AirIndia Express said.
he accident site showed the aircraft broken in two pieces with debris strewn over the runway and beyond.
Airoirt authorities said major tragedy was averted as the flight did not catch fire even after the fuel leakage.
There has been reports of torrential rains across Kerala for the last two days.
The Kozhikkode airport is a tabletop airport, that are located at an altitude and have steep drops at one or both ends of the runway. Local authorities said the flight broke into several pieces after overshooting the runway.
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