The Air India Express plane skidded on the runway at Kerala, there were 190 people on board including 10 infants, here on Friday.
According to the details, Boeing 737 NG that came from Dubai with 190 people on board tried to land twice but couldn’t make it. The crash occurs at Kozhikode airport in Kerala.
Junior External Affairs Minister V Muraleedharan tweeted that Kozhikode airport is a “tabletop” airport, where the accident happened.
A tabletop runway is a runway on the top of a plateau or hill with one or both ends adjacent to a steep elevation, which drops into a gorge. Such an airport presents a challenging condition for landing.
Indian media sources claim, seventeen people including both the pilots died in the crash. All on board have been evacuated and at least 92 injured, including 15 in serious condition, have been taken to hospital, authorities said.
There were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members on board the aircraft.
Pertinent to mention that the last major plane crash in India was in 2010 when an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway and burst into flames.
The crash killed 158 people and left eight survivors.