Lanka Sites

At least 158 people were confirmed dead in an Air India plane crash in southern India early on Saturday. The Boeing 727 was coming from Dubai. It was carrying 160 passengers and six crew members. The plane crashed outside Mangalore in morning in a hilly region due to heavy weather. Eyewitnesses said that plane caught fire immediately after crashing, hampering the rescue attempts. Also reports are coming in claiming that 8 people have survived the crash.

Talking to reporters, Air India Director Anup Srivastava said that eight passengers were rescued and taken to local hospitals for treatment. "We are setting up helplines and contacting relatives and making arrangements for all possible rescue teams." Rescue workers rushed to the crashed site to look for survivors. "It all happened in just a few seconds. By the grace of Allah, I have survived. Fortunately I was on a window seat, 19 A of the flight," said a survivor, Abdul Totuttur. Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya has ueged the local people to help the recuse workers in what he called "this hour of crisis" and asked the people to stay away from the crash site. "It is feared that most of the people have died," Acharya told

The airport is located some 20 kilometres outside Mangalore, which is around 320 kilometres from Bangalore, Karnataka state capital. Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is expected to arrive at the crash site soon. One survivor, Umer Farooq, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital, told a local Indian news channel that he had heard a loud thud as the plane touched down. "Then the plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke. I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out," said Farooq who sustained burns to his arms, legs, and face.

@ usa NEWS WEEK