Mathura: The two pilots of the Air India(AI) Express plane that skidded off the runway, breaking into two at Kerala's Kozhikode were among the 18 dead on Friday. They were Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.
Akhilesh Kumar, who had joined Air India Airlines in 2017, left behind his pregnant wife. It is still not known what went wrong, many survivors claimed that the pilots managed to save the lives of 170 passengers.
Kumar hailed from Mathura and he tied the knot with Megha in 2017. He had visited his hometown once before the lockdown was imposed. A pall of gloom descended upon the family members of Akhilesh when they heard the news of his sudden and unexpected demise.
A resident of Pothura Kund belonging to Govind Nagar Police station limits, Akhilesh is survived by pregnant his wife, elder sister and two younger brothers. His body is expected to arrive at Mathura today late evening and two of his family members have already left for Kerala.
"Family of deceased co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar has already been escorted from Delhi to Kozhikode," said Air India Express.
He was a very humble, polite and well-behaved person. His wife is expecting to deliver their child in the next 15-17 days. He joined Air India in 2017 and had come home last, before lockdown: Basudev, cousin of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar who lost his life in the Kozhikode tragedy.
READ: Kozhikode plane crash: Lost boy reunited with parents after rescuers post on social media
Nineteen people were killed and scores injured when an Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 onboard overshot the tabletop runway in Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday night while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced an interim relief of Rs 10 lakhs to the kin of each deceased, Rs 2 lakhs for seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries. He lauded the efforts of pilot DV Santhe who saved many lives.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and governor Arif Mohammad Khan also visited the crash site and took a stock of the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also ensured the state govt of all assurance and expressed deep condolences over the mishap.
Taking it to Twitter, he said, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."
With input from agencies
