Plane crash: Air India Express hires US-based firm to recover baggage

Air India Express said on Monday that it has contracted a US-based company to recover and restore the baggage of the crew and passengers of its plane that crashed in Kozhikode.

The airline's flight from Dubai with 190 people overshot the tabletop runway while landing amid heavy rain at the Kozhikode airport on Friday night, fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two, killing 18 people, including the pilots.

Air India Express said in a statement that Kenyon International specialises in recovery of baggage in case of a major accident.

"Their expertise lies in identification of baggage with their specialised services through advanced technology," it said.

The team of the US-based company will be arriving on Monday night, the statement said.

"The contract service provider Kenyon International will carry out the functions of restoration of personal effects with the help of Angels of Air India. Personal effects are items belonging to crew and passengers on board an aircraft involved in an aircraft accident," it said.

Angels of Air India is a special team of the airline to assist passengers and their family members at a time of accident. Air India Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of national carrier Air India.

A total of 56 passengers injured due to the crash have been discharged from various hospitals after obtaining complete fitness, said Air India Express.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said on Saturday that 149 people have been admitted to hospitals, 23 have been discharged, while three are critically injured in the B737 plane crash.

The airline said on Sunday that the mortal remains of 16 passengers killed in the plane crash have been handed over to their families, and added that authorities were investigating the accident.