Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the government will express its deep sense of gratitude to all the Dubai officials for their timely rescue of the passengers from an Emirates flight that skidded and burst into flames on August 3 at Dubai International Airport.

Addressing reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said,”Besides thanking the officials, we will also officially ask the Dubai government to personally pay the government's condolences to the family of fire-fighter Jassim Essa Al-Baloushi who lost his life during the rescue operation.”

Of the 300 passengers on board, 226 were Indian nationals -mostly Keralites- as the flight originated from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and was bound for Dubai.

Whether the flight skidded on the runway or crash-landed is still a matter of conjecture, it did burst into flames, once it touched the ground on landing. Quick response from authorities however helped save all passengers and crew aboard the jetliner. The firefighter was the only casualty.