Kerala plane crash: 14 passengers critical; probe under way to determine exact cause

Malappuram, Aug 09: The condition of at least 14 passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express flight that crashed while attempting to land at the Karipur airport here, remains critical, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan said on Sunday.

Eighteen people, including the pilot and co-pilot of the AIE flight from Dubai lost their lives, when it overshot the tabletop runway at the airport here while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions on Friday night.

"Till now, 49 people have been discharged from various hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode. The condition of 14 people remains critical," Gopalakrishnan told.

The remaining 109 people are under treatment at different hospitals.

Eighteen people, including the pilot and the co-pilot, lost their lives in the plane crash.

Air India Express on Sunday said the mortal remains of 16 passengers, who lost their lives in the plane crash, have been handed over to their families.

The bodies of the pilot and co-pilot of the AIE flight, were handed over to their families on Saturday.

The remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were cremated on Sunday with attendance from all family members as well as officials of Air India and Air India Express at Mathura, his hometown, it said.