Kerala plane crash: EAM Jaishankar expresses gratitude for the 'messages of sympathy'

Following the tragic Air India Express crash in Kerala's Kozhikode,  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said he deeply appreciates the sympathy messages from several countries. The Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 people, including a six-member crew, overshot the tabletop runway during landing at the Kozhikode airport in heavy rain on Friday night, fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two, killing 18 people, including the pilots'.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar also stated that the kind support received is a source of strength in these difficult times.

Meanwhile, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said an inquiry has been ordered under the Aircraft Act, while the black boxes of the ill-fated flight have been recovered. The findings of the investigation will be made public.

READ: Aviation Min Hardeep Singh Puri recommences Vande Bharat updates after Kozhikode crash

Hardeep Singh Puri Recommences Vande Bharat Updates

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recommenced the updates of Vande Bharat Mission with tributes to those who died. Taking to Twitter, he apprised the nation about the return of over 6000 stranded Indians from across the world to the country on Sunday.

READ: Kozhikode plane crash: Air India Express says 56 injured passengers discharged from hospitals

Kozhikode plane crash 

The aircraft had crashlanded after it overshot the runway at about 7.41 pm on August 7 at the Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur. The plane containing 190 people on board fell down 35 feet into a slope due to the airport being a table-top runway and the flight's fuselage broke into two pieces.

At least 18 people died in the horrific plane crash, including the two pilots Capt. DV Sathe and First Officer Capt. Akhilesh Kumar, while the four crew members are safe and the injured were treated at hospitals in Malappuram & Kozhikode. Youngest to succumb was a one-year-old boy who was undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after the plane crash.

On Sunday, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan revealed that 14 passengers of the crash-landed flight are in a critical condition. He added that 49 people admitted to various hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode have been discharged. The remaining 109 people remain hospitalised, he added. The logo of Air India had turned black all across social media platforms in order to offer condolences to all the people who lost their loved ones in the plane crash

READ: Air India expresses gratitude to Malappuram's people for quick response to Kozhikode crash

READ: Air India expresses gratitude to Malappuram's people for quick response to Kozhikode crash