Following home minister Amit Shah's directions, a team of India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was rushed to Calicut airport for rescue operation in the plane crash on Friday.
Rescue operation by NDRF at the crash site in Kozhikode. pic.twitter.com/QIZrrnEbBY
— Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) August 7, 2020
National Disaster Response Force chief SN Pradhan said: "The Air India Express Flight which was coming from Dubai was landing at 7.40pm seems to have skidded-off the runway and we must remember it is a table-top runway at Kozhikode. After the table top runway, there seems to be a high differential so that had led to an impactful landing on the ditch, because of that impact there seems to be a lot of trauma and injuries to all the passengers, some of them are unconscious."
"Our NDRF rushed to the spot from Malappuram. We are carrying out rescue and search operations at the spot, but we will have to be guided by the local administration and aviation authorities. We are going to help the local administration in any way it requires. Another team of NDRF reached the spot by midnight," Pradhan said.
The final search of the aircraft ended with the extrication of two persons and search and rescue on the ground, he shared.
#Kozhikode airport
— ѕαtчα prαdhαnसत्य नारायण प्रधान ସତ୍ଯପ୍ରଧାନ-DG NDRF (@satyaprad1) August 7, 2020
✅@airindiain express #AI1344 skidded off runway
✅@NDRFHQ teams on spot
✅Carrying out rounds of Search & Rescue
✅Final search of aircraft ended with extrication of 2 persons
✅Also searching ground @HMOIndia @BhallaAjay26 @PIBHomeAffairs @ANI @PIBTvpm pic.twitter.com/wdmh9hiuIV
Passengers are saying that the aircraft made a delayed landing after three rounds near the airport. An official says it landed after the third iteration. The accident, which has claimed about 20 lives of the 191 on board, happened when the aircraft was about to land at Kerala’s Calicut Airport amid heavy rainfall.
