Air India plane crash kills scores

Nearly 160 people were killed today when a plane overshot an airport runway and plunged into a gorge in southern India. Of the 166 people on board the Air India airliner, 158 died when it appeared to skid off the hilltop runway at Bajpe airport in Mangalore in heavy rain. Eight people survived the crash, which happened at 6.30am, and were being treated in nearby hospitals, according to local officials. One survivor, Pradeep G Kotian, 28, said: "As soon as the plane touched the runway, it started vibrating and before we could realise what was happening, we heard a loud sound and the plane broke into two pieces. Then there was smoke and fire on the plane. "Nobody could do anything. Luckily, I saw the opening where the plane had split into two, and I jumped out of it. I could see three others who had also jumped out from the same opening." Kotain, who injured his hand and suffered burns to his feet, told CNN-IBN TV that the fire on the plane was small at first, but an explosion sparked a bigger blaze. Another survivor, 47-year-old Krishnan K, said: "It happened all of a sudden and I considered myself really lucky to have survived this crash. I thank God for my survival." Mayan Kutty, 48, who escaped the crash, said: "I consider myself really lucky. As soon as I jumped out of the plane, I spoke to my wife thinking she might be worried. But she was shocked to hear the news." The Boeing 737-800, carrying 160 passengers and six crew members, crashed during heavy rains that also hampered the rescue effort. It is believed that cloudy conditions and reduced visibility may have contributed to the incident. The crash is believed to be the worst in India since the November 1996 mid-air collision between a Saudi airliner and a Kazakh cargo plane near New Delhi that killed 349 people. Bajpe airport, which has been shut following the crash, is on a plateau surrounded by hills, making it difficult for firefighters to reach the scene. The "table-top" runway ends in a valley, which means that if a plane overshoots it is likely to result in a major incident, according to aviation experts. Rescue workers had pulled 146 bodies from the charred wreckage, Air India official Jitender Bhargava said. Officials believed the chances of finding any more survivors were bleak, but efforts to recover and identify the bodies were expected to continue into the evening. C Basavanna, a regional fire officer, said: "We arrived here at 7am after receiving an emergency call. Only 30% of the rescue work has been done so far and it may carry on beyond 7pm." Yogish Bhat, a member of the legislative assembly who rushed to the scene, said: "Many relatives are coming to the spot. But the bodies are so charred, it is impossible to identify them here. So we are sending them to hospitals." Residents who helped with the rescue efforts described their shock at seeing the crash site. Mohammad Haris, 42, who lives near the airport, said: "I heard a loud bang early in the morning. Initially I couldn't understand what happened, but then I saw smoke coming out from the valley near the airport. "Along with a few other neighbours, I rushed to the spot. It was rather difficult to reach the site because of the dense vegetation. We began pulling bodies from the wreckage and one of us informed the local authorities. I have never seen anything like this before. I am shocked." The prime minister, Manmohan Singh, expressed his condolences and promised compensation for the families of the victims. "This is a major calamity," the home minister for the state of Karnataka, VS Acharya, told CNN-IBN. The Air India director, Anup Srivastava, said in a statement: "Air India Express regrets to announce that a B737-800 aircraft operating as flight IX-812 from Dubai to Mangalore was involved in an accident early this morning. "The accident occurred after the aircraft landed at Mangalore airport and overshot the runway. We are confirming the number of casualties. We have opened helplines and are making arrangements for rescue."