The local people of Kondotty and neighbouring areas won many a heart by responding quickly and efficiently to the Air India Express flight crash at Calicut International Airport on Friday night.
Keeping aside the fear induced by COVID-19, the people of Kondotty swung into action to take the crash victims to hospitals. The ease and alacrity with which they handled the emergency of unparalleled proposition earned them the praise of many, including Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and several other ministers, MPs and MLAs. The kudos they got on social media had wider ranges.
“We never saw an accident of this nature. It was totally unprecedented and unforeseen. Yet we know how we mustered so much courage and commitment. May be because we hail from a land of love and innocence,” said Muhsin K., who was in the forefront of the rescue effort.
Dozens of youngsters from neighbouring localities came running to the spot within minutes after the flight plunged down the runway. The CISF security men guarding the gates did not wait long to allow the local men in to help the victims. “Humanity drowned every norm there,” said a senior CISF officer, refusing to divulge his name.
In whatever vehicles they got, they carried the victims. Many of the passengers were either dazed or trapped in the wreckage. “The cries for help that rose from the site were heart-wrenching,” said Mr. Muhsin.
A section of local people cleared the roads for the vehicles carrying the victims. From autorickshaws to mini vans, they used all vehicles that came handy for them to shift the injured. “I feel a rare sense of satisfaction after doing what I could,” said Shahul Hameed of Peruvallur, who alone rescued three dozen passengers from the mangled flight.
An airport engineer who joined the local people in the rescue work said that there was considerable risk in removing the injured from inside the torn fuselage as the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) had continued to jet out of the tanks. “A blaze would have changed the phase of this tragedy,” he said.
Children who got separated from their parents during the accident found some good Samaritans. Using the potential of social media, they reached out to the families of the children. Within hours, most of them rejoined their parents and relatives.
“They took care of each of the victims, including children, like brothers and sisters,” said T.V. Ibrahim, MLA, who coordinated the relief work at hospitals at Kondotty.
