"We have been able to confirm three survivors," said Prabhakar Sharma, additional deputy commissioner of Mangalore district in southern Karnataka state. The plane "is almost completely burnt," he said. There was little chance of more people being found alive, state home minister V.S. Acharya said by phone.
Television channels including CNN-IBN and NDTV 24x7 showed flames and thick smoke billowing from a forested area at the end of the runway. Broadcasters said the plane crashed through a boundary wall and fell into a ravine. Firefighters had to cross a railway line and battle through trees to reach the wreckage, according to the reports.
There were 137 adults, 23 children and six crew aboard the low-cost flight IX-812 when it crashed this morning, Sharma said. The survivors have been taken to a hospital 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the crash site, he said. Acharya put the total number of passengers and crew at 169.
CNN-IBN showed a rescue worker carrying the foam-covered body of young girl up a mud bank away from the crash. It was not immediately clear if she was one of the survivors.
'Grievous Loss'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed condolences over the "grievous loss of life" in a statement, announcing compensation for those killed. Singh postponed celebrations to mark the first anniversary of his re-election.
The Boeing Co. 737-800 plane flying from Dubai to Mangalore crashed at 6:30 a.m. local time, Air India spokesman Swaminathan said by telephone. The crash may be the worst in India in 14 years, according to the Aviation Safety Network website.
There was heavy rain and fog at the time of the crash, Sharma said. Civil aviation officials are on their way to Mangalore from the Karnataka capital c
