Kerala chief minister leaves for Mangalore

KOZHIKODE - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Saturday left for Mangalore after reports that many Malayalis were travelling in the Air India Express aircraft from Dubai that crashed in the morning, killing more than 160 people.

Achuthanandan is accompanied by state Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi as well as P. Karunakaran, MP from Kasargod constituency that neighbours Mangalore.

Karunakaran told IANS that many of the Malayalis onboard were from the north Kerala districts of Kasargod and Kannur.

“The state government has offered all assistance to the victims,” he said.

Karunakaran, who is also deputy leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in the Lok Sabha, demanded a high-level probe into the accident.

About 160 people were killed when the Air India Express flying from Dubai overshot the runway after landing at the Mangalore airport early Saturday and caught fire as it crashed into a forested gorge.