air india express crashes at mangalore airport

Mangalore: Helplines Established, Rescue Operations On

Photo & News courtesy :  http://www.daijiworld.com

Naseem Zaidi, Director General of Civil Aviation, has rushed to Mangalore to guide the operations in Mangalore. Union minister, Veerappa Moily, is also on way to reach the local airport. Helplines No. 0824-2220422 and 011-25603101 have been established to provide information to the people.

The ill-fated aircraft, as per the version of a few people who saw the accident from a distance, appeared to be landing, when suddenly it overshot the runway and exploded. So far, 35 bodies have been recovered and the tentative figure of casualties stands at 150.

 

Air Marshal Chengappa, who was contacted by a few media houses, felt that landing of aircraft in the Table Top airport here, requires special skills. He assumed that Boeing 737 aircraft is equipped with enough gadgets for a safe landing and hence, human error could be the reason for the accident. Even if it was a case of poor visibility, the pilot would have taken the aircraft up again and hover around the airport till the visibility improved, he reasoned. But it is too early to come to a conclusion about the cause of the accident. No information is forthcoming from the local authorities. Over 25 ambulances have been pressed into service to take up relief and rescue operations.

The blackbox of the aircraft is yet to be retrieved. The number of people admitted into hospitals is as yet uncertain, although it is learnt that four survivors are among them. The commandos have cordoned off the accident site, and people are not being allowed to approach the spot.

State Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa, has sought the central help to handle the situation.