Kozhikode airplane crash: Most of the injured have been discharged, informs Air India CMD

Two months after the tragic Kozhikode plane crash, Air India Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajiv Bansal on Thursday said that almost everybody who was hospitalized has been discharged. On August 7, an Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 people overshot the tabletop runway during landing at the Kozhikode airport in heavy rain and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into pieces, killing 21 people, including the pilots.

Bansal further gave an update on the incident and said the insurance agency has paid all the injured and families of the deceased.

"They have already been paid interim compensation. We have also received the first tranche of interim compensation for aircraft that we lost. 21 passengers, including 2 pilots, died. Almost everybody discharged from hospital, 2 still receiving some treatment; 1 undergoing physiotherapy and another undergoing plastic surgery," he said.

READ: 5 people injured in Kozhikode air crash still receiving medical attention at hospitals: Puri

Last month, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed that Captain S S Chahar is the investigator-in-charge who is probing the Air India Express crash. Puri also said that Chahar will "submit the report to Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preferably within five months from the date of order." Chahar was appointed by the Director-General of AAIB on August 13, 2020, for probing this case.

READ: Kozhikode plane crash: Report to be submitted by investigator within 5 months, says Puri

The Kozhikode plane crash

At about 7.41 pm on August 7, the Air India Express flight IX-1344 arriving from Dubai overshot the runway at the Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur. As per MoS MEA V Muraleedharan, the plan managed to land only in the second attempt. In rainy conditions, the plane containing 190 people on board fell down 35 feet into a slope and broke into two pieces. Immediately, the Kerala government and the Centre swung into action and commenced rescue and relief operations.18 persons including Wing Commander (retd) Deepak Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar lost their lives in the flight crash.

The Centre has announced an interim relief of Rs.10 lakh to the families of the deceased, Rs.2 lakh to the seriously injured and Rs.50,000 to people with minor injuries. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan also announced Rs.10 lakh compensation to the kin of those who lost their lives besides bearing the medical expenses of the injured. Meanwhile, the black boxes of the flight have been recovered and an inquiry has been ordered under the Aircraft Act. On Thursday, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) formed a five-member panel to inquire into the circumstances of the plane crash. 

READ: Survey for 6.8 km Kozhikode-Wayanad tunnel commences

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