Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Saturday visited Kozhikode airport, where an Air India Express flight crash-landed yesterday, killing 18 people.
"I have visited the site and seen the debris there. It (aircraft) is broken into two pieces and now inspection and various other things are being conducted. As part of the rescue operation, they break-opened some parts of the aircraft," Muraleedharan told .
"The DGCA has already announced an enquiry and the Civil Aviation Minister (Hardeep Singh Puri) is reaching here at around 12 pm. After that, we will come to know more about the incident," he added.
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recovered the Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder from the aircraft. These will be brought to Delhi for further investigation.
At least 18 people including two pilots have lost their lives in the incident. However, the four-cabin crew members are safe, said the Air India Express in a statement. The injured are admitted to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode, as per Kerala government officials.
The Air India Express flight carrying 190 passengers including 10 infants skidded while landing at Karipur airport in Kozhikode on Friday evening.
( With inputs from ANI )