Black box found, Air India crash toll 18

New Delhi, August 8

The black box of the Air India Express flight that crashed at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport last evening has been recovered even as the death toll touched 18 today after a passenger succumbed to injuries.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials said the black box would be brought to Delhi for further investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited the site and announced an interim relief of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who sustained minor injuries. Additionally, CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced Rs 10 lakh for the deceased.

The Centre said all agencies, including the AAIB, DGCA and flight safety department, were on the spot to investigate and ascertain various aspects of the crash.

Airports Authority of India Chairman Arvind Singh said “corrective action” would be taken after receiving the probe report. Meanwhile, the airline said pilot-in-command Deepak Sathe was an experienced Boeing 737-800 pilot. — TNS/PTI

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