Air India Express crash kills 18
Authorities say 18 people were confirmed dead and more than 100 injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway and broke in two on landing.
It happened as a Boeing 737-800 repatriation flight landed at Kozhikode, Kerala from Dubai in heavy rain.
The dead included both pilots.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri said it ‘overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down’ a slope.
The runway is situated on a flat hilltop with slopes at either end.
The ministry’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is investigating with concerns over the use of ‘tabletop runways.’
An Air India crash in Mangalore in 2010 bore similar hallmarks.
In that incident 158 people died.
A subsequent inquiry found extra polit skill is required to land with potential catastrophic risks to undershooting or overshooting the runway.
The plane was carrying 191 passengers and crew and 15 of the injured are in a serious condition.
Kerala has been hit recently with heavy rains causing flooding and some landslides as the monsoon season is at its peak.
By Ray Montgomery, Asia Pacific Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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