All arrangements have been made for the treatment of those who were injured in the Air India Express flight crash in Kozhikode airport, said Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja. Instructions have been given to provide emergency treatment for those who have been injured.
At the time of writing this report, 11 people, including the pilot and co-pilot, have died and many others have been seriously injured.
The hospitals arranged for the victims are Kozhikode Medical College, Beach Hospital, Farooq Hospital, and others near the airport in Malappuram.
The Air India Express flight from Dubai was part of the Vande Bharat Mission series to repatriate Indians stranded abroad during COVID-19. The crash happened when the flight was 30 feet above the ground and plunged down, overshooting the tabletop runway.
It was also raining heavily when the accident caused the aircraft to split into two.
District Medical Officers of Kozhikode and Malappuram have been instructed to reach the spot urgently. Minister Shailaja also said that 108 ambulances from these districts are reaching the spot.
Among those who died are the pilot, the co-pilot and nine other passengers, two of whom have been identified as Cherikka Parambil Rajeevan (61) and Sharafudheen (35).
Malappuram Superintendent of Police has said that 123 persons have been injured in the crash with 15 of them sustaining grievous injuries.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has expressed grief and shock over the tragedy. It had happened before one could get over the shock of the death of people in a mudslide in Munnar the same day, after heavy rains have once again begun to cause havoc in the state. Chennithala has also demanded a high-level investigation into the incident.
K Surendran, Bharatiya Janata Party state president, also expressed grief and shock over the incident. Two big disasters have happened in Kerala on the same day. He is joining in the grief of the bereaved families, the BJP leader said.