Malappuram SP, District Collector who led Kozhikode crash rescue ops test Covid-19 positive

Malappuram Superintendent of Police (SP) U Abdul Karim, who led the rescue operations of the Air India plane crash in Karipur, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday. Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan also contracted the infection. He, too, was part of the team that conducted the rescue operations after the plane crash, which killed 18 people, including the pilot and the co-pilot. Both Karim and Gopalakrishnan are in hospital and undergoing treatment for the disease.

At least two passengers travelling home from Dubai on the ill-fated aircraft had tested positive for Covid-19. Following the accident, the Kerala Health Ministry had urged all those involved in relief operations to go into quarantine to prevent the spread of the virus. Kondotty, where the airport is located, is a containment zone with a high Covid-19 positivity rate.