Expressing condolence to Air India Express flight crash victims, Japan Ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki on Saturday hoped that the search and rescue operation would conclude soon.
"My heart bleeds for the air accident of Air India Express in Kozhikode and landslide in Idukki. My thoughts are with those who lost their beloved ones and are injured. I hope search and rescue will conclude as quickly as possible," Suzuki tweeted.
The death toll in the flight crash landing incident at Kozhikode International Airport in Kerala rose to 18, including two pilots, India's Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday.
The minister said he will visit the Kozhikode airport to take stock of the situation.
Two special relief flights have been arranged from Delhi and one from Mumbai for rendering humtarian assistance to all the passengers and the family members.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Flight Safety Departments officials have reached to investigate the incident, the Air India Express stated.
( With inputs from ANI )