Seven passengers were injured when they jumped in panic out of a plane at the Kochi airport after the Bahrain-Kochi Airbus 320 landed and skidded up to 10 meters off the runway early this morning.
The flight landed in wet weather conditions before the dawn and skidded and veered onto muddy grassland.
Some passengers jumped out through the emergency exit and injured themselves even before the ladders were brought, said airport officials. “The emergency ladder did not work as the nose of the plane was damaged but passengers panicked and jumped before the airport staff brought the ladders,” they explained on the incident.
Poor visibility, bad weather and slippery conditions prevailing on the runway resulted in the accident. One passenger is still in hospital, according to officials at the airport.
Reports said that 137 passengers and six crew members were on board the flight. It might be mentioned that in May 2010, a passenger jet overshot the runway at the Mangalore airport and skidded into a valley killing 158 people instantly.
