Indian Plane Overshoots Runway: 158 Dead

[KJ]

A passenger plane has overshot a runway, crashed into a forest and burst into flames in southwest India, killing 158 people.

The Air India jet carrying 160 passengers - including 19 children and four babies - and six crew members slid off the runway during heavy rain at Mangalore Airport at around 6.30am local time.

Officials said eight people survived and dismissed earlier reports that one of the survivors had died on the way to hospital.

Flames were seen blazing from the wreckage as firefighters fought to bring the inferno under control.

Two rescue workers were seen running up a hill carrying a young girl covered in foam. She was later treated for severe burns in hospital.

Other rescuers pulled out scores of burned bodies from the blackened tangle of aircraft cables, twisted metal and charred trees at the crash site.

Many of the dead were still strapped into their seats, their bodies charred beyond recognition.

Relatives of the victims, who had come to the airport to meet them, were seen weeping near the wreckage.

"The plane shook with vibrations and split into two," a survivor called Pradeep told CNN-IBN television.

He said the plane's initial touchdown appeared smooth at first, but then a small fire developed and an explosion set off a bigger blaze.

The technician added that he managed to jump from the plane and was helped by villagers who had rushed to the scene to help search for survivors.

Witnesses said the plane touched down on the runway correctly but did not stop on the wet tarmac and slid over the edge of a cliff at the end of the landing strip.

Sky's Asia correspondent Alex Crawford says Mangalore Airport is in a hilly area and is considered one of the most difficult airports to navigate.

It has a "tabletop" runway, which ends in a valley, making a crash inevitable if a plane overshoots it.

Crawford adds: "Precision flying here is essential, there's no room for error."

The state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 was piloted by a 55-year-old British citizen of Serbian origin who is considered highly experienced and has landed on the runway before.

The airport said it did not receive a distress call from the pilot as the budget airline aircraft flew in to land.

There are suggestions a tyre burst upon landing, and poor weather conditions may have contributed to the incident.

The crash is believed to be the worst in India since the November 1996 mid-air collision between a Saudi airliner and a Kazakh cargo plane near New Delhi that killed 349 people.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed his condolences and promised compensation for the families of the victims.

Boeing said it is sending a team to provide technical aid to the government's crash investigation.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families and all others affected by the tragic plane crash in Mangalore.

"We wish those who have been injured a full and quick recovery."

The UK Foreign Office said there are no reports at this stage of British citizens on board.

An emergency information service has been set up for concerned relatives to call on 001 2565 6196 or 001 2560 3101.

[~WarrioR~]

very Bad

[krishj]

sad news