An Air India Express aircraft Friday overran the runway and crashed during landing at Kozhikode airport in Kerala.
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Airline officials said that the plane “skidded off the runway and plunged deep into a valley, where it then broke into two pieces.”
The aircraft carried 184 passengers, including 10 children and seven crew members. As of this afternoon, authorities have reported at least 16 people dead.
Preliminary reports indicate that landing conditions were worse than usual due to the amount of rain derived from the monsoon season in the country.
The plane was being used by India’s Government to repatriate citizens stuck overseas amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a detailed investigation of the crash.
“The plane fell into a valley and broke in two after skidding off the end of the runway. No fire was reported at the time of landing,” the DGCA stated.
Interior Minister Amit Shah confessed to being "distressed to learn about the tragic accident." He instructed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.
A similar accident happened in 2010 when a plane overshot the runway and crashed in Mangalore, killing 158 passengers.