AI Express says Kozhikode crash probe will take some time, mortal remains handed over to families

"The mortal remains (of Sathe) were honourably received today i.e. 9th August 2020 at Mumbai International Airport by the officials of Air India and Air India Express who were present to receive the family of the deceased captain along with the mortal remains of the Captain," the airline noted. A prayer meeting was arranged at Air India premises in Mumbai which was attended by senior officials of the national carrier as well as Air India Express, said the statement.

Air India Express said Sunday the mortal remains of the 16 passengers killed in a plane crash in Kozhikode have been handed over to their families and added that authorities were investigation the accident but it will take some time to complete. The mortal remains of pilot-in-command Deepak Vasanth Sathe were taken from Kozhikode to Cochin and then to Mumbai by a flight, the airline said in a statement.

Sathe's family was also escorted to Mumbai on the same flight. The mortal remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were cremated "with attendance from all family members as well as with the officials of Air India and Air India Express present to mark respect to the departed soul at Mathura, his hometown," it said.

The Boeing 737 flight from Dubai with 190 people, including a six-member crew, overshot the tabletop runway during landing at the Kozhikode airport in heavy rain on Friday night, fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two, killing 18 people, including the pilots. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has initiated an investigation with the support of Flight Safety Officials and it will take some time before it is completed, the airline said.

"As regards the deceased passengers, the mortal remains have been handed over to the families with their consent," it said. "The mortal remains (of Sathe) were honorably received today i.e. 9th August 2020 at Mumbai International Airport by the officials of Air India and Air India Express who were present to receive the family of the deceased captain along with the mortal remains of the Captain," the airline noted.

A prayer meeting was arranged at Air India premises in Mumbai which was attended by senior officials of the national carrier as well as Air India Express, said the statement. Many pilots, cabin crew, and other personnel also joined the prayer meeting, it added.

A total of 149 people have been admitted to hospitals. Twenty-three have been discharged, while three are critically injured, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Saturday after his visit to Kozhikode Medical College, where many of the passengers were admitted. Air India Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of national carrier Air India.

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