An Air India Express plane, with 190 people on board, overshot the runway and plunged into a valley while landing at the Calicut International Airport in the southern state of Kerala in heavy rain.
Air India Express Flight IX 1344, which was coming in from Dubai, overshot the runway at the airport - also known as the Kozhikode International Airport - at 7.41pm, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation said in a statement that the "aircraft skidded off the runway, crashed into a wall and then fell into a valley, splitting into two".
Indian media reported that the pilot of the flight was among at least 11 people killed.
There was no official confirmation on casualties even as rescue operations were launched to pull out passengers and rush them to nearby hospitals.
Visuals broadcast on television showed that the Boeing 737 plane had split into two after falling into the valley.
There were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew on board the aircraft.
Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that those injured were rushed to hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram, and that some of the injured were in critical condition.
India has not thrown open international flight operations due to the coronavirus pandemic but has been operating multiple repatriation flights, and has established air bubbles with a handful of countries, including the United States and Germany.
Some 950,000 Indians have returned home on the repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, the Ministry of External Affairs had said on Thursday.
The southern state of Kerala has been hit by heavy monsoon rains. At least 15 people were killed in landslides earlier yesterday.
Reactions poured in from different parts of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest."
Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted: "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations." The NDRF is the National Disaster Response Force.
Mr Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party and an MP for Wayanad in Kerala, said in a message: "I am shocked to hear about the crash landing of an Air India Express flight, coming from Dubai, at Kozhikode, Kerala... My thoughts are with the crew, the passengers and their families and friends at this time.
