Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, May 21: It is 13 years since the Air India Express flight crashed here on May 22, 2010. On Monday, May 22, the 13th anniversary of the air crash is being observed.
The flight which arrived from Dubai at around 6.20 am overshot the runway due to pilot error and plunged into the depth of Kenjaru hills killing 158 people onboard. Only eight people managed to survive the tragedy.
In order to provide compensation to the victims, Air India Express had recruited Mulla and Mulla company, led by legal expert of Mumbai H D Nanavati. The company said that it has provided compensation to 147 families. There were people who received maximum compensation of up to Rs 7.7 crore. The compensation was given based on the financial earnings and age of the deceased.
Many families objected to the amount of compensation that was disbursed. The family members of the victims had moved the Kerala High Court asking for Rs 75 lac as compensation in the first phase as per the Montreal convention. This reached the Supreme Court as well. Around 45 families are still waging a legal battle.
In the midst of this development, Air India Express was bought by the Tata group. It has submitted a petition in Kerala High Court that it cannot provide compensation.
Many dead bodies of the tragedy could not be identified. They were buried on the bank of river Phalguni at Kulur. In the same spot a park has been built in memory of the souls of the departed.
On May 22, at 9 am, the district administration will pay tributes to the people, who lost their lives in the tragedy, at the park.