The World Travel & Tourism Council expresses condolences on the recent tragedy in Kerala, India.
“The entire WTTC family expresses its heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the passengers, crew and the family and friends of those impacted by the tragic Air India Express events, which was repatriating those stranded abroad during the COVID-19 crisis. The global Travel & Tourism sector stands beside the families and loved ones, the airline, the government of India, and all those affected at this difficult time.”
The black box – or flight data recorders – of the Air India Express flight that crashed at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport late Friday evening has been found. Flight IX-1344, carrying 184 people, including passengers and crew from Dubai, broke up into pieces after skidding off a tabletop runway amid heavy rain and hurtling down a valley at 7.41 PM Friday.
The flight was operating under the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus lockdown. There were 184 people on board the plane, including 10 babies and four crew members. Many of the passengers were returning home after losing their jobs due to the pandemic. The injured passengers are being treated at 13 hospitals in and around Kozhikode airport and city, Union Minister V Muraleedharan told NDTV Saturday morning.
At least 18 people, including both pilots, were killed and 127 others injured. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who reached in Kozhikode this afternoon, said he would hold consultations with senior civil aviation officials and professionals. A team from national aviation watchdog DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has already reached the crash site. The airport, built on top of a hill with limited space at the end of the runway, is one of Kerala’s most prominent international terminals and handles many flights from abroad.
The names of the dead crew members were released:
Akhilesh Kumar (Airline crew), Deepak Sathe (Airline crew), Aysha Dua, 2 years – Palakkad, Shivathmika, 5 Years- Kozhikode, Zhenobia, 40 years – Kozhikode, Sahira Banu, 29 years – Kozhikode
The Kerala government will conduct COVID-19 tests of all the people involved in rescue operations at Kozhikode Airport as part of the precautionary measure, said KK Shailaja, Kerala Health Minister adding that they should go into self-quarantine. “All those who were involved in rescue operations at Kozhikode Airport should go into self-quarantine. State Government will conduct COVID-19 tests of all,” said KK Shailaja.
– eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News
