SIT formed by Kerala police to probe air crash

The Kerala police on Sunday constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the Air India Express crash at nearby Karipur international airport on August 7, which killed 18 passengers, including the pilot and co-pilot. The 30-member team will be headed by Malappuram Additional Superintendent of Police G Sabu, a government release said.

Police said a case has been registered under various provisions of the Aircraft Act and Indian Penal Code sections 337, 338 and 304 A, based on the statement by one of the CISF personnel who was on Airport periphery security duty near the site that day. Section 337 of IPC deals with causing hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or the personal safety of others.

Section 338 deals with causing grievous hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others, while 304 A deals with causing death by negligence. Eighteen people were killed and scores injured when the AIEflight from Dubai with 190 on board overshot the table toprunway while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions on Friday night.

At least 14 passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express remain critical at various hospitals, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan said. Till now, 49 passengers have been discharged from hospitals. Air India Express on Sunday said that the mortal remains of the 16 passengers who lost their lives in the crash had been handed over to their families.

The body of pilot-in command Deepak Vasanth was flown from Cochin to Mumbai and his funeral will take place on Tuesday, an Air India official said. Co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar was cremated on Sunday at his home town in Mathura. Meanwhile, AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) has initiated the investigation into the accident with the support of Flight Safety Officials.