President offers condolences following Kerala plane crash

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has offered condolences following the plane crash in Kerala, India, which wounded over 100 individuals.

Taking to Twitter following the devastating news, the Maldives president noted that he is “extremely saddened” to hear of the Air India Express plane crash in Kerala on Friday evening, he went on to offer condolences to the families of those affected by this tragedy, and prayers for the ongoing recovery effort.

International media reports that severe weather conditions caused the flight of the Air India Express, which is a subsidiary of Air India, to skid off a hilltop runway and crack in half while landing at the Kozhikode Calicut International Airport.

The neighboring country’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri revealed that the flight “went down 35-feet into a slope before breaking up into two pieces”, with 190 people onboard. The flight was en route from Dubai, United Arab Emirates with Indians stranded due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Indian authorities have confirmed that at least 18 people were killed in the crash, including both pilots.

About 30 others are receiving treatment for serious injuries, with over 100 wounded.

Fortunately, there was no explosion reported following the unfortunate crash, during which 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots, four cabin crew members were on board the aircraft. The four cabin crew members are reportedly safe.

Visuals of the scene show much of the center of the aircraft, crushed, with its nose smashed into a brick wall, debris was scattered across what looked like a field and Indian authorities have since assured that an investigation will be launched to determine the cause of the crash.

The airport’s 2,850-metre runway is built on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on both sides, it ends in a 34-metre drop.