Air India plane crashes on landing with almost 200 onboard

The flight route was from Dubai to Calicut.

August 7, 2020, 3:37 PM

An Air India Express aircraft flying from Dubai, UAE, crashed at its destination of Calicut, India, with at least 190 people onboard. The extent of casualties was not immediately known.

The Air India passenger jet appears to have skidded on landing and is now in several pieces. It was raining at the time of the crash, and the plane did not catch fire, according to reports.

NDVT, an India television station, is showing images of the plane apparently overshooting the runway. Officials are reporting on NDTV that all passengers have been evacuated and taken to the hospital, some with severe injuries.

A part of the Air India Express flight is seen through a broken wall after it skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
AP
People gather around an Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
AP

An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed that the passengers had been taken to the hospital. According to the company, 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members were on board at the time.

"As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care," the company said in a statement. "We will soon share the update in this regard."

A handout photo made available by the Indian Civil Defense shows the site of a plane crash at Calicut airport in Kozhikode, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
Indian Civil Defense/EPA via Shutterstock
A handout photo made available by the Indian Civil Defense shows the site of a plane crash at Calicut airport in Kozhikode, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
Indian Civil Defense/EPA via Shutterstock

The aircraft involved is a Boeing 737-800 -- an earlier model of the 737 Max with a generally strong safety record.

"We are aware of media reports from Kozhikode International Airport (Karipur Airport) in Calicut, India. We are gathering more information, and closely monitoring the situation. We have reached out to our customer to offer our assistance," a spokesperson from Boeing said in a statement.

Rows of ambulances are seen outside the Calicut International Airport where a passenger plane crashed after it overshot the runway in Karipur, in the southern state of Kerala, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
Reuters
A person injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport is brought for treatment to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020.
AP

ABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report.

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