160 dead, seven survive plane crash in India

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/10141297.stm
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Nearly 160 people are feared dead after a passenger jet crashed on landing in the southern Indian city of Mangalore.

Air India Express said there were seven survivors among the 160 passengers and six crew on board its Boeing 737 arriving from Dubai.

The plane overshot the hilltop runway as it tried to land and burst into flames in a forested valley beyond.

Survivors said they thought they heard what sounded like a tyre bursting just before the crash.

Speaking to Indian TV from his hospital bed, survivor Umer Farooq said he heard a loud thud as the plane touched down.

"Then the plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke. I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out," he said.

All the passengers on the flight were Indian nationals, with many returning from jobs in the Gulf to visit their families, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi. There were up to 20 children on board, our correspondent adds.