Fiery crash turned gorge into valley of death
The fiery crash of Air India Express flight 812 from Dubai early Saturday in a gorge at the end of a “hill top” runway here turned the wreckage site into a valley of death, with charred bodies strewn all around the inhospitable terrain. “It is perhaps the first and worst air mishap I have seen in Mangalore. Words fail to express the magnitude of the tragedy, as so many people, especially women and children were burnt alive in minutes,” C.N. Manjunath, a thasildar (local revenue official), one of the first eyewitnesses of the crash, told IANS from the wreckage site. Though cyclone Laila brought relief to the people of this coastal city from sweltering heat and humidity, inclement weather and rains marred rescue and relief operations when the Boeing 737 with 166 people, including six crew, plunged into the gorge after overshooting the “table top” runway while landing. As many as 159 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Local people were caught unawares and shocked to learn that such a tragedy struck in the early hours of a weekend. As thousands of people from surrounding areas thronged the wreckage site, the fire brigade, the police and rescue teams had tough time in dousing the inferno and searching for survivors.
When news of the tragedy spread through local and national news channels, relatives and friends of the passengers also rushed to the site. “We had to cordon off the ghastly site from all sides as pouring rain and chaotic movement of people were hampering rescue measures and delaying recovery of bodies. Fire brigade service had a tough time in reaching the site as it was not only inaccessible but also turned into a war ravaged terrain,” Mr Manjunath noted.
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