Saturday, May 22, 2010

Indian plane crash kills 160

At least 160 people aboard an Air India plane were killed when the aircraft crashed after it overshot a runway near the southern Indian city of Mangalore early Saturday, officials said.

"At least 160 passengers have died in the crash," said V.S. Acharya, home minister of the state of Karnataka, according to Reuters.

The plane, carrying 163 passengers and nine crew members, burst into flames, the Times of India reported. It was flying from Dubai.

Seemant Singh, a police official at Mangalore airport, told The Associated Press that conditions were poor when the plane overshot the runway.

Indian TV showed images of smoke billowing from the crash site and rescue crews carrying people from the wreckage.

"This is a major calamity," Acharya told CNN-IBN TV.