KOZHIKODE: People of Malappuram have come in for praise for saving several passengers of the Air India Express plane crash here that left 18 dead, with the carrier saying "Taking a bow to HUMANITY" and "We owe you a lot".
Expressing its gratitude, the airline in a tweet said it takes not just courage, but a touch of humanity to save a life. "Taking a bow to HUMANITY!A standing ovation from our hearts to the PEOPLE OF MALAPPURAM, Kerala, who had showered us with kindness & humanity during the uncertain incident. We owe you a lot!. We at Air India Express take a bow to the people of Malappuram who have risked their own lives to save many. WE OWE YOU!" the airline tweeted.
The AIE flight from Dubai with 190 people on board had overshot the tabletop runway while landing in heavy rains, fallen into into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions on Friday night, claiming 18 lives, including that of the pilot and Co Pilot, and leaving over 100 injured.
The Karipur airport falls in Malappuram district and is about 30 km from Kozhikode. As soon as the mishap occurred, many local people had rushed to offer all help unmindful of the downpour and COVID- 19 fears. They have been described as 'Real Heroes' by many.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had praised the 'fast response' of the local people and officials in being the first to reach the crash site to save the passengers, braving inclement weather and COVID-19 fears, "which made all the difference".
The airport area also comes under a containment zone. As many as 135 locals, 42 police personneland 72 fire force personnel who had participated in the rescue mission have gone on quarantine as a precautionary measure.
Malappuram Collector K Gopalakrishnan is also in quarantine.