India plane breaks in Kerala 17 killed including 2 pilots, 60 injured

An Air India Express plane crashed on the runway while landing in Kerala, India. At least 16 people, including two pilots of the flight, have been killed in the incident so far.

This information was mentioned in the reports of Hindustan Times, NDTV and Times of India on Friday night.

when an Air India Express Boeing 737 aircraft with 195 people on board from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing amidst heavy downpour at the Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala tonight, police said.

The injured persons have been admitted in three hospitals in Kozhikode, Kerala Police Chief Loknath Behera said.

The plane, which was carrying 189 stranded Indians including women and children, pilot, co-pilot and four cabin crew members, slipped into a 30-feet deep gorge and broke into two pieces after sliding off the runway, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The front portion of the aircraft was badly mangled, said SN Pradhan, director general of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The incident took place around 7:40pm (Indian time) when flight IX 1344 landed at the airport. Four persons were still stuck inside the plane and rescue workers were using gas-cutters to pull them out, according to last reports coming in.

All other passengers have been rescued from the plane. The pilot of the plane, identified by Indian media reports as Wing Commander (Retd) Dipak Vasant Sathe, was killed in the accident.

First images and TV visuals from the site showed the aircraft broken up into two with debris strewn over the runway and beyond. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the accident and said authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.

He also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in this regard. Earlier, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah asked the NDRF to rush to the accident spot to assist in the rescue-and-relief operations following the incident.