An Air India Express plane coming from Dubai overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday evening, an airline spokesperson said.
The flight -- IX 1344 -- landed at the airport at around 7.40 pm. The airline spokesperson said the aircraft apparently overshot the runway. Further details were not immediately known.
The Air India flight (IX-1344) from Dubai carrying 190 passengers skidded during landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode (Kerala) today. There were 6 crew members onboard, including two pilots, according to the Kairipur airport official.
As various videos on social media show, the plane split into two but fortunately it did not catch fire.
Air India Express has only Boeing 737 planes in its fleet.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, “(I) Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.”
According to NDTV, 45 people were injured. The nimber is expected to rise. There was no casualty reported as yet.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his shock and grief over this unexpected tragedy:
Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted: Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. I have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too expressed his grief over the accident: