Victims : all Indians

Mangalore, May 22 - All the passengers of the ill-fated aircraft which crashed near Bangalore last morning were Indian nationals, an Air India official in Dubai said. Many were likely Indian migrant workers in Dubai. The pilot was Serbian and said to be very experienced.

Air India Express is the budget arm of the loss making state-run carrier Air India, which has been fending off growing competition from private airlines.

Indications are that the crash was an accident, officials said. One TV report said the plane hit a radar pole on landing.

“There was no distress indication from the pilot. That means between the pilot and the airport communication there was no indication of any problem,” V.P. Agarwal, director of Airports Authority of India told local television.

Television channels said the plane crashed around 6:30 a.m. (9 p.m. ET on Friday). TV images showed it struck a forested area. Flames were seen blazing from the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.

“While landing at the airport, the plane deviated and hit something,” said Krishna, a survivor. “It caught fire and we fell out. We looked up and saw some opening and came out through that route.”

- Reuters