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The Air India Express ocean liner, which flew in from Dubai and was carrying more than 190 passengers and crew, broke in half but did not catch fire during an accident at Korikoda airport in Kerala.
“I can confirm a total of at least 14 deaths. Another 15 passengers were seriously injured. The situation is still evolving,” Senior Police Officer Abdul Karim told AFP.
“At least 89 people have been admitted to various hospitals in Korikoda, many of them seriously injured. Ambulances are still running,” said another senior police officer, Sujith Das.
“We have been told that everyone who survived the accident is also injured in one way or another,” he added.
According to the aforementioned Kerala state official, one of the two airline pilots is among the dead.
The Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA) said the plane slipped from the end of the airport runway, “flew into the valley and broke in two.”
An Air India Express spokeswoman said the liner may have landed on the runway too late.
At the time, News18 TV reported, according to anonymous sources, that the liner chassis was defective.
A report from Air India Express said there were “no reports of a fire upon landing.”
The company said there were 174 passengers, 10 young children and five crew members on board.
“According to initial reports, rescue operations are underway; passengers are transported to hospitals to receive medical attention ”, added the company.
“There are rescue operations, but the rain makes work difficult,” a rescue official told AFP, who wanted his name not to be made public.
Television reports show rescuers working in the dark, throwing debris onto the siding.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences for the disaster.
“My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones. May the injured recover as soon as possible … The services are working on the ground, providing full assistance to the victims,” the head of government wrote on Twitter.
The last major aviation disaster in India occurred in 2010, when the same Air India Express Boeing 737-800, flying from Dubai, failed to land on the runway at Mangalore Airport and caught fire. 158 people died and eight were rescued.
It has been raining heavily in Kerala in recent days.
Earlier on Friday, at least 15 people in the state were killed in torrential rains that hit several homes.
Some 50 people are feared still trapped in the rubble. There were at least two children among the dead.
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