Air India plane crashes, about 16 dead, scores injured

An Air India Express plane crashed in the South Indian state of Kerala after skidding off the runway and breaking into two while landing at Kozhikode Calicut International Airport. At least 16 people died in the crash, including both pilots, and 46 people are seriously injured, according to CV Anand, Central Industrial Security Force’s Inspector General.

The Air India Express flight from Dubai was repatriating Indians stranded overseas amid the coronavirus pandemic. The plane was carrying 190 passengers and crew, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. Among them were 10 infants. The flight, number IX-1344, overshot the runway in rainy conditions, went down 35-feet into a slope before breaking up into two pieces, reports says. Images from the scene showed a broken fuselage with pieces of the plane scattered across what appears to be a field, as well as people searching through the debris.

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