Indian Jet Crashes, Burns, But All 163 Aboard Survive
An Indian Airlines plane carrying 163 people crashed in heavy fog while trying to land at a New Delhi airport early today, officials said. All aboard survived.
Only six people were hospitalized, even though the plane broke up, caught fire, overturned and was destroyed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials said.
“It was a great miracle. It was a very serious accident, but there were no fatalities,” said Harbans Kumar, the airport director.
The Russian-built TU-154 jet, bound from Hyderabad to New Delhi, overshot the landing strip, airline officials said.
Earlier news reports had said at least 40 people were dead or injured aboard the flight, which was carrying 152 passengers and 11 crew members, nine from Uzbekistan and two from India.
The crew was hired from Uzbek Airlines when Indian Airlines’ lower-ranking pilots went on strike Dec. 10 demanding higher pay. The airline said the plane was one of six leased from Uzbek Airlines.
The pilots’ union had protested that the TU-154s were unsafe and accused the state-owned airline of putting passengers at risk.
The airline said the planes underwent safety inspections before they were used in India.
AIRPLANE ACCIDENTS -- INDIA
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