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EPA
The flight left Indian citizens stranded by the coronavirus pandemic
Investigators have found the so-called ‘black boxes’ of a plane that crashed in the southern Indian state of Kerala, killing at least 18 people.
The Air India Express plane, en route from Dubai, skidded off the runway in bad weather before crashing into two as it landed at Kozhikode Airport.
There were 190 people on board the flight and one official said it was a “miracle” that the toll was not higher.
It is still the worst Indian air crash in a decade.
The flight repatriated Indians stranded by the coronavirus crisis. First responders to the accident have been asked to quarantine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained” by the accident.
What do we know about the accident?
Flight IX 1134 carried 184 passengers, including 10 beekeepers, and six crew as it attempted to land at Kozhikode Airport, formerly known as Calicut.
The Boeing 737 plane crashed at 19:40 local time (14:10 GMT) on Friday. Indian media said the pilots could not see the runway during an initial attempt to land due to heavy rain.
When they were hit, it is said that the plane landed hundreds of meters in front of the runway on a taxiway, then skidded off and slipped into a ditch.
The impact broke the plane in two. Images of the scene destroyed the fuselage, with the blue seats of the jet scattered across the ground.
Kozhikode has an airport on the table, a challenge for air force during difficult landings, as they typically have steep drops at one or both ends of the runway.
Both the pilots were among the dead. Nearly 150 people are being treated at the hospital.
What’s the latest in research?
Indian Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited the scene of the crash on Saturday, where he announced the recovery of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which could be crucial in investigating the crash.
He praised the lead pilot and said it was too early to say what the exact cause of the crash was.
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“We should be grateful that the victims are just this,” he said.
“The plane fell 35 feet [10 metres] down and rescue people were able to reach there immediately, cut the body of the plane and catch people inside. “
An unnamed official told AFP: “Fuel had leaked, so it was a miracle that the plane did not catch fire. The toll could have been much higher,” said one senior ambulance official at the scene. “
Victim who never made it
By Imran Qureshi, BBC News
Twenty-nine-year-old Sharfudeen was so excited about returning home that he posted on social media that they would be back within hours.
He never made it, one of the victims of the crash at Kozhikode Airport.
His baby daughter and his wife Amina were injured and are being treated at the hospital.
“The doctors told us she was fine. She was transferred to the intensive care unit,” Hani Hasan, her uncle, told the BBC.
“She was constantly asking for her husband. We did not tell her anything,” he added.
At least half of the passengers were those who had lost their jobs or whose visas had expired. The remainder of which for the most part are Indian nationals who have been stranded in Dubai due to the lockon of the coronavirus.
