India Plane crash survivors tell of miracle escape

The Air India plane that crashed outside an airport in southern India has spared at least 8 passengers out of the 166 people on board including the aircraft crew. A seven year-old child was rescued from the burning plane but later died of injuries.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft coming from Dubai appeared to have skidded on touchdown at the Mangalore airport in Kanataka state in southern India. "The plane broke into two and we jumped off the plane. As soon as the plane landed, within seconds this happened." one of the survivors said Indications are that the crash was an accident, Indian officials said. One TV report said the plane hit a radar pole on landing. "There was no distress indication from the pilot. That means between the pilot and the airport communication there was no indication of any problem," V.P. Agarwal, director of Airports Authority of India told local television. "The plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke," Umer Farooq, his face covered in burn cream, told the NDTV news channel at a local hospital. "The plane overshot the runway only to stop inside a forest area... it burst into flames," he said. "I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out. "My hands, face and legs are all burnt. There was an announcement that the plane would land in 15 minutes. There was lot of smoke fire inside, there was no way to get out. I think the plane hit something." Another survivor, K.P. Manikutty, said he had managed to escape as the plane's fuselage smashed open. "There was no warning to passengers about any trouble and it appeared a smooth landing," Manikutty told the Press Trust of India. "Immediately on touching the ground, the aircraft jerked and in a few moments hit something. Then it split in the middle and caught fire. I just jumped from the gap," he said. One of the survivors, a seven-year old boy died later from injuries in the hospital. Air India is the national flag carrier of the Republic of Indiair India and a part of the Indian Government owned National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL). It operates a fleet of Boeing and airbus aircraft with domestic hub in Mumbai and Delhi. The airport where the incident happened is reported to be a table-top runway and is one of the most difficult runways for take off or land in. The accident is now under investigation with the assistance from the technical staff of Boeing.