India's plane mishap death toll rises to 18, bigger tragedy averted

Officials standing on the debris of the Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. The special evacuation flight bringing people home to India who had been trapped abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off the runway and split in two while landing in heavy rain killing more than a dozen people and injuring dozens more. - AP

NEW DELHI, Aug. 8 (Xinhua): The death toll in late Friday evening's plane crash in south India has risen to 18, including the two pilots, as two investigating teams have reached the site to find out the exact reason of the mishap.

Confirming the number of deaths, the country's Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday tweeted, "18 people, including two pilots, have lost their lives, it is unfortunate. 127 people are at hospitals, others have been released."