Interim compensation disbursed to Air India plane crash victims

MANGALORE - Air India management disbursed cheques as interim compensation to a few families of the victims of the ill-fated Mangalore Air India plane crash.

The kin of Irshad Ahmed, Reshma Santhosh Rai, Melwin Kiran Menezes and Rama Sathish who were among the 158 killed in the crash, received interim compensation amounting to Rs one million each.

“The airline staff distributed compensation just within a week of the incident. There were not much difficulties but our intent was to give it quickly. So, we did it within a reasonable time frame,” said Sunil Kishan, Regional Director, Air India.

“The accident took place on the 22nd and first compensation has been paid by the 28th, though interim compensation but it is quite a quick achievement for us, we at Air India can say that,” he added.

Kishan further said that around six cases have been cleared whose documentations have been complete.

“We have been able to clear about six to seven cases till now, where we have given the cheques of the interim compensation which is Rs 10 lakhs for an adult and Rs five lakhs for children below 12 years,” said Kishan.

About 158 people were killed in the Air India Express Boeing 737-800 plane crash on May 22. There were only eight survivors.

The plane burst into flames after it overshot the tabletop runway and plunged into the forest below.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel had earlier announced a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to each family of a dead victim. (ANI)