The Indian Consulate in Dubai will remain open on Saturday to help those who need assistance to travel to Kerala and provide information about the crash of the Air India Express flight on Friday, the consulate said in a statement. 

Air India Express’ Boeing 737 aircraft skidded off a hilltop runway and split in two while landing in heavy rain at an airport in Kerala’s Kozhikode. The incident that took place on Friday at 7.41 pm left at least 18 dead, including the two pilots.

India’s consulate in Dubai will open on Saturday at 8.00 am, it said in a tweet. “We are with all the families of injured and deceased and will do our best to assist them,” it tweeted.

There were 190 people on board including 10 infants, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew on board the aircraft, the  Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement. 

India’s newly appointed Consul General to Dubai Dr Aman Puri said that there were all kinds of Indians on-board the IX 1344 flight, which took off from Dubai and fell into a valley 35 feet below before broking into two portions.

“Some were visa cancellation and expiry cases, some were travelling to meet their family members, some having lost their jobs, and some were travelling on medical emergencies,” he told the local media.

The Indian consulates in Dubai and Sharjah have activated five helpline numbers to provide information to the family members of the deceased and the injured passengers.

“We pray for the wellbeing of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates. Our helplines +97156 5463903, +971543090572, +971543090571, +971543090575,” Puri told PTI on Friday.

Helpline number to call in Sharjah for updates is +97165970303, the Gulf News reported.

Air India Express has also established a helpline number in Sharjah at +971 6 5970303.

TV footage from the accident site showed the aircraft split into two pieces and the debris lay scattered on the ground.

Captain Deepak Sathe, the pilot-in-command, and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were among those who died, police and airline officials said on Friday. Sathe was a former Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and had served at the force’s flight testing establishment, PTI reported.