Compensation despite fake passports in plane crash

Thiruvananthapuram: The government will not deny compensation to families of passengers with fake passports who were among the 158 people who died in the May 22 Air India Express crash in Mangalore, a top leader of the Congress Party said yesterday.
“I have received an assurance from the authorities that even if any of the victims carried fake passports their families will get compensation,” former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy said. “I’m told that the compensation is given to those who die in an air crash and the status of their passport has no bearing.”
Victims of the Mangalore air tragedy should get at least $145,000 in compensation from the carrier apart from the amount sanctioned by the state and federal governments. Of the 158 people who died in the tragedy, 49 were from the northern Kerala districts.
According to reports, officials have detected that 12 passengers travelled on passports secured from the Regional Passport Office in Kozhikode through fraudulent means making it difficult to identify them.
It also exposed a flourishing fake passport business in the Gulf countries with links in Kerala’s Kasaragod district for more than two decades - known as “Kasaragod embassy”.
“According to international aviation rules the compensation is $145,000. We will see that no dilution takes place in this and we are working with the central government on it,” Chandy said.
01/06/10 Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times

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Categories: Air India Budget Jun 2010, Airports Jun 2010, NACIL Jun 2010, Safety Jun 2010