Ambareesh wants JD(S) govt in Karnataka: H D Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru, Jul 31: An ambulance driver was thrashed by the family members of a 75-year-old COVID-19 patient who passed away on his way to the hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The incident happened after the patient died in the ambulance while waiting in front of the MS Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru.

The driver was dragged out of the ambulance and chased around by a relative.

His clothes were ripped off and harangue were hurled at him. The relative was seen shouting and blaming the driver for the patient's death.

Speaking to news agency, the driver said that he was unable to explain the sequence of the protocol which was to be followed while getting the patient to the treatment ward.

Karnataka is one of the worst-affected states by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state has 67,456 active cases as of Friday.

The state government has been struggling to contain the spread of the disease as it has intermittently imposed and eased lockdown measures, especially in the capital Bengaluru.

Mangaluru, Aug 8: As visuals of the Air India Express flight crash at Kozhikode international airport emerge, one cannot help but be reminded of an eerily similar and unfortunate accident that occurred a decade ago. The August 7, 2020 tragedy brought back memories of the 2010 crash.

It was on May 22, 2010 that an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 flight from Dubai to Mangaluru over shot the runway while landing at Bajpe airport and fell into a cliff. Of the 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board, 158 were killed (all crew members and 152 passengers) and only 8 survived.

Even back then, the plane had split into two. The crash has been termed as one of India's worst aviation disasters.

The final conversations between Air traffic control (ATC) and the pilot prior to the landing showed no indication of any distress.

Like the Mangaluru accident, Karipur crash too happened when the flight was attempting to land.

The captain of the aircraft which crashed at Mangaluru, Z Glucia, was an experienced pilot with 10,000 hours of flying experience and had 19 landings at the Mangalore airport. Co-pilot S S Ahluwalia, with 3,000 hours of flying experience had as many as 66 landings at this airport. Both the pilot and co-pilot were among the victims.

An investigation into the accident later found that the cause of the accident was the captain’s failure to discontinue an ‘unstabilised approach’ and his persistence to continue with the landing, despite three calls from the First Officer to ‘go-around’.