Air India flight crashes in Mangalore, 160 feared dead

Air India flight crashes in Mangalore, 160 feared dead

Mangalore, May 22 (Agencies):

As many as 160 persons were feared dead when an Air India Express flight from Dubai with 173 on board crashed and caught fire on Saturday as it overshot the newly built runway while landing at the Mangalore airport. Helpline numbers 011-2565-6196, 011-2560-3101.

''According to me 160 people are not alive. A few people have been shifted to hospital,'' Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bangalore shortly after one of the worst air crashes in India. According to preliminary information, there were 173 persons on board Flight IX-892, operated by a Boeing 737-800. This included 163 passengers, four infants and six crew members on board. The crash occured around 6.30 am. ''At least 160 passengers have died in the crash,'' V.S. Acharya, Home Minister of Karnataka, told reporters. The crash happened while landing and the aircraft immediately caught fire, Acharya said. The newly built runway was opened just 10 days ago. Telephone helplines set up Authorities today set up telephone helplines to facilitate dissemination of information regarding the air crash. The helplines were set up in Delhi, Mangalore and Bangalore. The Delhi helpline numbers are 011-25656196 and 011-25603101 while Mangalore number is082-42220422. The Bangalore number is 080-66785172 and 080-22273310. Police said 40 charred bodies have been recovered. The plane, which was five-year old, had partially broken up with smoke billowing from the main fuselage. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft exploded after it caught fire. Official said there was a dense fog over the airport. The Mangalore airport has been shut down for operations. According to aviation officials, the aircrfat overshot the runway, hit a fence and went beyond the boundary wall of the airport. Sadananda Gowda, who is the BJP MP from Mangalore, said the accident happened after a wing of the aircraft hit a hillock when the pilot Capt Z Glusica, an expatriate, attempted to take off after the plane overshot the runway while landing. Rescue operations were in full swing.

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