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Nine killed as IA plane crashes into naval workshop

An Indian Airlines Dornier aircraft carrying three passengers and an equal number of crew members crashed today soon after it took off from Cochin at 1100 hours on a scheduled flight to Thiruvananthapuram.

The plane -- VT-EJW, operating flight IC 503 in the Cochin-Trivandrum sector -- caught fire immediately after it crashed into a naval workshop hangar in the vicinity of Cochin. The injured passengers, crew members and naval employees were admitted to the naval hospital INS Sanjivani, where they succumbed to their wounds. The plane was completely destroyed. The report further stated that the fire had been extinguished by the naval authorities.

The 16-seater aircraft, which came from Agatti in Lakshadweep, was on its way to Thiruvananthapuram. It had just taken off after a brief stopover in Cochin when the mishap occurred.

The deceased have been identified as Captain S R Singh, co-pilot Manish Sharma, flight purser Sajith, passengers Samal Raju (29), Kalyani Kanaujia (30) and Sasi Kant Remani (35) and naval employees A G Thomas and Chandrasekharan.

Indian Airlines has set up a control room at Cochin for providing information about the passengers. The centre, with the telephone numbers 0484-668114 and 668065, is manned by Prem Kumar, a statement issued in New Delhi said.

Indian Airlines managing director P C Sen, Director General of Civil Aviation H S Khola, Alliance Air Managing Director Vinoo Kashyap and other senior officials from the ministry are leaving for Bombay, from where they will proceed to Cochin. Khola has already ordered an inquiry into the crash.

The aircraft, which was manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in 1986, was certified airworthy until April 1999.

UNI

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