158 die in Mangalore plane crash
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More than 150 have died after an Air India Express plane crashed at Mangalore airport, Karnataka state, on Saturday morning. The Boeing 737-800 had been carrying 160 passengers and six crew from Dubai when it crashed at the southern Indian city at just after 6am local time. It is believed that the plane overshot the runway on landing, and plunged down a hillside into a forested valley before breaking up and bursting into flames. 158 those on board are thought to have died. Rain was reported at the airport at the time of the crash. But it is not clear whether this was a factor in the crash.
According to Indian media, the country’s Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, has hinted that pilot error may have been to blame. He was reported saying that the plane had landed “beyond the threshold” of the 2,400m runway, which meant that it did not have time to stop before the end of the tarmac. Both the pilot and co-pilot are among the dead, but the cockpit voice recorders have been located.
Mangalore airport lies on top of a hill with steep drops at the end of each of its two runways, making it tricky to land at. The airport has also been criticised for having insufficient run-off areas, following the lengthening of runways in 2006. Two investigations have been launched into the crash, which becomes India’s first fatal air crash since 2000.
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