Outside the Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode, a crowd is waiting, eager for any information on the health status of passengers from the Air India Express 1344, who were rushed there. Around 27 passengers from the flight that crashed in Karipur airport on Friday night have been brought to the hospital, of which two people were declared dead on arrival.
Though relatives are desperate to go inside and find their family members, the hospital has had to exercise caution and ensure that people are wearing masks and not crowding the hospital. Close relatives of critical and grievously injured people are allowed to enter the hospital.
Noufal is one of the people anxiously waiting outside. His sister Nafila, and her five-year-old daughter were both in the flight. Initially, while Nafila was brought to the Baby Memorial Hospital, her child had been taken elsewhere as rescuers rushed people to different hospitals. “Her condition is okay,” Noufal tells TNM, “After the hospital realised that her child was not with her, the kid was brought here. She was brought from a hospital in Malappuram.”
People injured in the crash were rushed to seven hospitals in Kozhikode and a few in Malappuram. In Kozhikode, the Collector ensured that one Revenue officer was in charge of each hospital.
Vijayan PS, Deputy Tahsildar who was helping officials at the Baby Memorial Hospital says that each hospital in the district was admitting patients according to their capacity. “Our priority now is to save maximum lives. We may not be able to follow the COVID-19 protocols during such emergency situations," says Vijayan.
Habeeb’s two relatives – Ruksana (26) and her daughter Inaya (4) – have also been brought to the same hospital. Only one family member was allowed inside however, and Habeed was asked to wait outside. “I am waiting for word from them,” he tells TNM.
The scenes are similar in most hospitals in Kozhikode. Hospitals are struggling to maintain COVID protocols as worried relatives rush there – Kozhikode currently has 1092 active coronavirus patients. Moreover, severe blood shortage too has created issues, forcing the Collector to give repeated appeals for blood donations.
Helpline numbers for queries regarding the Dubai-Kozhikode Aircrash.
Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493
Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320
Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901