All four flight attendants onboard an Air India Express flight that crashed while attempting to land at Karipur airport in Kerala, India on Friday night survived the crash but are being treated for injuries sustained after the aircraft broke into two, a statement from the airline confirmed. The current death toll from the accident rose to 18 on Saturday, including both the Captain and First Officer.
Air India Express flight IX1344 from Dubai to Calicut crashed shortly after 7.30 pm on Friday during heavy rains. It was the second attempt at landing after an initial go-around prompted by the inclement weather. Many of the 190 passengers onboard the “ill-fated” flight were injured after the Boeing 737 overshot the runway and fell 35-feet into a valley at the end of the landing strip.
Captain Deepak Sathe is credited with turning off the engines shortly before the plane broke into two in a move that may have helped save lives. He, along with First Officer Akhilesh Kumar died in the tragic accident after repatriating Indian citizens who had been stuck in Dubai because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials confirmed that 149 people from the flight remain in hospital. 22 of those are said to be critically injured. All of the passengers and crew admitted to hospital were tested for the Coronavirus and first responders, along with local volunteers who helped at the crash site have been asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
It was the worst aviation accident in India since 2010 when another Air India Express plane skidded off the end of a tabletop runway in Mangalore.
In the last few hours, Air India Express said it would provide immediate compensation to the value of approximately $13,000 to the next of kin of any of the passengers killed in the accident who were aged over 12-years old. Critically injured passengers will receive $26,000 and less seriously injured passengers will initially get $666.
Two emergency response teams from Air India Express and Air India have been dispatched to the crash site.
