New Delhi:
On Friday evening when an Air India Express flight IX-1344 from Dubai to Calicut carrying 184 passengers and 06 crew members, made crash landing at Calicut International Airport (Kozhikode) and went off the runway CISF personnel acted as the first responder and later played key role in rescue operations. 18 deaths have been reported till now.
Assistant Sub-Inspector, Mangal Singh performing duty at gate no.8, and his collegue Ajit Singh, who was carrying out patrolling in the area, were near the spot and responded immediately. The message was passed to the CISF control room, who in-turn informed the message to ATC Tower, AAI Fire Wing, senior officers of CISF, district authorities and other agencies.
In the meantime, around 40 CISF personnel lead by Dy. Commandant Kishor Kumar A V, reached the spot and started evacuating the passengers during heavy downpour. Later AAI officials along with local police & district authorities also reached the spot and helped in rescue operation. Later on, NDRF team also reached the spot and rescued two passengers who were stuck between the seats in the flight.
Reinforcement also responded from the CISF unit lines and helped the personnel who were engaged in rescue operation. Not only the barrack personnel, even those who stay outside the airport campus, rushed to the site on coming to know about the crash, regardless heavy rain. CISF personnel were divided in different teams to cordon the area and conduct rescue operation.
By the healthy and exhaustive efforts of CISF, AAI fire service, district administration, local police and NDRF, 190 trapped & injured crew members and passengers were evacuated from the incident place and victims were shifted to hospitals after providing necessary first aid to the needy. As per the district medical authorities, 18 deaths have been reported till now.
CISF as the first responder has done excellent work in rescue of the passengers, and arranged ambulance and other vehicles to shift the passengers to hospital. By the time other agencies arrived at the crash site, CISF had already evacuated majority of passengers. The Chief Airport Security Officer, CISF Calicut Airport, Dy. Commandant, Kishor Kumar A V reached the site within 20 minutes and mobilized men and material, because of which the passenger could be shifted quickly for treatment and evacuation was done within two hours.
Asstt Sub-Inspector, Ajit Singh, Incharge of CISF patrolling team and Asstt. Sub-Inspector, Mangal Singh performing duty near the crash site, showed exemplary alertness and presence of mind by alerting the Control Room and guiding the CISF rescue team to the site.
Rajesh Ranjan, DG, CISF has appreciated the prompt and outstanding efforts of the CISF officers and personnel in saving precious human lives. In recognition of their outstanding efforts, DG, CISF has announced to award DG’s commendation DISC to the above mentioned officers.
The CISF has directed its personnel to go into preventive quarantine after at least two passengers of the Air India Express flight that crashed in Kozhikode tested positive for COVID-19.
