At least 18 people died on Friday after an Air India Express plane skidded off the runway during its landing at the Karipur Airport in Kerala’s Kozhikode city due to heavy rain. The plane broke into two pieces, and many passengers were injured.

The victims include the two pilots. The toll is likely to rise.

The Dubai-Kozhikode flight (IX-1344) had 190 people on board.

These are the helpline numbers that the Ministry of External Affairs has tweeted: 1800 118 797; +91 11 23012113; +91 11 23014104; +91 11 23017905. Here are more helpline numbers.

Here is what happened:

1.20 am: Air India Express confirms that both pilots – Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe and Captain Akhilesh Kumar – have died, reports The Times of India.

12.29 am: All flights to Kozhikode have been redirected to Kannur, reports Times Now.

12.27 am: Here are photos from the scene.

Image credit: PTI

12.13 am: Puri adds that rescue operations are over, and two teams of investigators from Air India, the Airports Authority of India, and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will leave for Kozhikode early on Saturday morning.

12.12 am: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweets details about the number of people on board the flight, and says he has received information that 16 people are dead so far.

11.38 pm: Twenty people have died so far, The Hindu reports.

11.30 pm: The aviation ministry confirms that there was no fire on the flight when it landed, reports PTI.

11.27 pm: Many passengers on the flight were those returning home after having lost their jobs in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, reports The News Minute.

11.24 pm: The toll is up to 16, The New Indian Express reports.

11.16 pm: A meeting of the civil aviation ministry has been called with senior officials of Air India Express, the Airports Authority of India, and the Director General of Civil Aviation, reports ANI.

11.14 pm: Casualties appear to be people from the front portion of the aircraft, reports NDTV.

11.12 pm: Experts say it is fortunate the plane did not catch fire and explode.

11.08 pm: Many passengers are “seriously injured”, reports Doordarshan.

11.06 pm: All passengers have been rescued, reports News18. Four passengers who were trapped inside the aircraft have serious injuries, says CISF chief CV Anand.

11.03 pm: Visuals from the rescue site and outside the airport.

11.03 pm: Kozhikode administration urges people not to go to hospitals unless necessary, due to coronavirus concerns, reports The News Minute. Lists of hospitals where passengers are being treated are being released.

11 pm: Air India Express issues a statement.

10.58 pm: The civil aviation minister says he is deeply anguished about the accident. The aircraft fell 35 feet into a slope before it broke, he says.

Hardeep Singh Puri adds that an investigation will be held.

10.54 pm: According to NDTV, 15 people have died.

10.47 pm: Four people are trapped inside the plane, the Kerala director general of police tells News18.

10.44 pm: The flight was repatriating people from Dubai during the coronavirus pandemic, as part of Air India’s Vande Bharat mission.

10.43 pm: The captain of the flight, Deepak Sathe, made two attempts to land the plane in heavy rain, reports NDTV. However, the flight overshot the runway around 7.40 pm. Sathe reportedly had thousands of hours of flying experience.

10.38 pm: Here are some pictures.

10.37 pm: Around 148 passengers have been rescued and moved to local hospitals, the inspector general of Kozhikode tells Times Now.

10.35 pm: The flight had 174 passengers including 10 infants on board, four crew members and two pilots, ANI quotes the civil aviation ministry as saying.

10.33 pm: The president tweets that he is “deeply distressed” by the “tragic plane crash” and says he has spoken to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan about the situation.

10.29 pm: The co-pilot is also among those dead, reports Hindustan Times.

10.26 pm: These are the Ministry of External Affairs helpline numbers.

10.22 pm: At least 14 people have died, reports ANI. However, according to NDTV, 11 are dead.

10.19 pm: The Kerala DGP tells NDTV that four people are still trapped inside the aircraft.

10.15 pm: Prime Minister Modi expresses his grief at the accident, saying he is “pained” by it. “My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones,” he tweets. He adds that he has spoken to Kerala’s chief minister.

10.09 pm: At least two people including the pilot have died, reports BBC. The toll is likely to go up.

10.07 pm: The DGP chief adds that the Kozhikode airport has a “tabletop runway”. Such a runway is one that is located on top of an incline, with both ends that end in steep precipices.

10.04 pm: NDTV says the co-pilot was young and had recently been married, while the captain was a former wing commander in the Indian Air Force.

10.03 pm: NDRF chief SN Pradhan tells ANI that almost all passengers have suffered some injury, and some are unconscious.

10.02 pm: Air India says help centres are being set up at Dubai and Sharjah, reports ANI.

9.59 pm: Shailaja also confirms that the pilot has died, reports Times Now.

9.56 pm: Health Minister KK Shailaja instructs public and private hospitals to take in injured passengers, reports The New Indian Express. There were multiple young children on the flight.

9.54 pm: The prime minister speaks to Chief Minister Vijayan, reports ANI. Vijayan tells Modi that a team of officials including the district collectors of Kozhikode and Malappuram are at the site of the crash.

9.51 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says minister AC Moideen will lead the rescue efforts at the airport, ANI reports.

9.47 pm: The Kozhikode administration releases a helpline number.

9.41 pm: “The flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport and broke down in two pieces,” DGCA says. “The visibility was 2,000 meter at the time of landing.”

9.39 pm: The Ministry of Civil Aviation says no fire was reported at the time of the plane’s landing, ANI reports.

9.37 pm: Foreign minister S Jaishankar says the government is ascertaining more details of the incident.

9.35 pm: Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor expresses grief over the incident.

9.32 pm: “We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated,” the Consulate General of India in Dubai says.

9.30 pm: Air India says 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew members were on board, The Hindu reports.

9.27 pm: More political leaders react to the accident.

9.25 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says he has directed NDRF teams to reach the spot immediately.

9.21 pm: Here are some visuals from outside the Karipur airport.

9.20 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directs the police and fire officials to take urgent action. He has also ordered the officials to start rescue operations and bring in medical support, ANI reports.

9.19 pm: NDRF teams have been rushed to the Karipur Airport, ANI reports citing NDRF DIrector General SN Pradhan.

9.18 pm: The flight broke into two pieces, ANI reports. The DGCA says the visibility was 2000 m at the time of landing.

9.15 pm: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter, ANI reports.

9.10 pm: Photos of the accident on social media showed the plane totally smashed into pieces and debris scattered on the runway.

9.05 pm: The flight was coming in from Dubai. The accident happened at 7:45 pm, according to ANI.

Several passengers are said to be injured. More details are awaited.

9 pm: An Air India Express plane skidded off the runway during its landing at the Karipur Airport in Kerala’s Kozhikode city amid heavy rain on Friday. The plane had 190 people on board, according to NDTV.