The Union Minister said that the plane crashed while attempting to land amid heavy rain on a tabletop runway at Kerala's Kozhikode airport late yesterday evening, was carrying fuel to attempt a diversionary landing elsewhere.
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Puri warned people against speculations as the investigation is still underway into the tragic accident and there are several questions still unanswered. He said that as per records the pilot had landed on this runway 20 times
Taking to Twitter, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, ''My heart goes out to the families & friends of the 18 people who lost their lives in the air accident involving @FlyWithIX Flight IX-1344 in Kozhikode last evening & offer my heartfelt condolences. Reasons for the mishap are being investigated.''
"Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated aircraft have been retrieved. AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) is conducting investigations," said Puri.
The investigation team has found a black box in the crashed Air India Express flight from Dubai to Karipur. The digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were also recovered. This information will help the investigation team to find out how the plane crashed.
Addressing the media after visiting the crash site today, Puri also offered "heartfelt condolences" to the families of the 18 people who died and announced ₹ 10 lakh compensation to families of those killed, ₹ 2 lakh for those seriously injured and ₹ 50,000 for those with minor injuries.
Soon after visiting the accident site, the Union Minister visited the injured who are admitted to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode.