At least 11 people, including the two pilots died in the crash of Air India Express Boeing 737 plane at Kerala’s Kozhikode Airport on Friday night.
The accident happened amid heavy rain.
Flight IX 1344 from Dubai, with 191 people on board skidded off the runway and broke in two while landing
Police said the two pilots and nine other passengers died.
Most on board have been evacuated and at least 50 injured, including 15 in serious condition, have been taken to hospital, authorities said.
Four passengers were still stuck inside the wreckage, NDTV reported.
There were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, two pilots and five cabin crew members on board the aircraft.
The flight was part of the Vande Bharat programme that has been bringing back Indians from abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Television images from the site showed part of the fuselage of the Boeing 737 jet ripped apart with debris strewn all over.
The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area around 7:40 pm. Emergency services personnel were seen working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.
According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft circled the airport several times and made two attempts to land.
The Kozhikode airport is one of Kerala’s most prominent international terminals and handles a significant number of flights from abroad, Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor told NDTV.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala.
“Have instructed NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.”
