discovery+ New Investigative Documentary Vande Bharat Flight IX1344: Hope to Survival

KOCHI:
Amidst the pandemic that has taken the lives of millions, perhaps the only hope is the security of being in one’s own country, among your loved ones, in a place that you call home. This is one such story of homecoming that turned into a tragedy. discovery+, brings you a story of hope, broken dreams, miracles, tragedy, and heroism with its latest documentary Vande Bharat Flight IX1344: Hope to survival.

On 7th August, during the peak of the ongoing pandemic the rescue flight from Dubai to Kerala met with a tragic accident in Kozhikode upon arrival at the Calicut International Airport, claiming the lives of 19, miraculously by the timely efforts of the local good Samaritans and authorities the other 171 survived. This 45- minute gripping documentary uncovers the events around the ill-fated flight that crashed upon landing at one of the most challenging and dangerous runways to land on in the country.

The film uses graphical illustrations to simulate the accident and the aftermath. They all come together in a seamless narrative to narrate the story of individuals who survived and lost their friends and family. This special documentary unfolds the human emotions, details behind the accident and expert opinions breaking down the possible causes of the disaster. Aviation experts like Captain Amit Singh (Pilot and Aviation Blogger), Captain Mohan Ranganathan (Independent Aviation Professional) and Captain Sandeep Baweja (Pilot / Former colleague of Captain Sathe); CISF staff and the local rescuers will form the core of this story with survivors sharing what exactly happened and what was running on their minds.

“7th August is a day I will never be able to forget. The IX1344 crash that happened then is an extremely regretful and a very unfortunate accident. The tragic incident has shaken me till my core as it is something one believes would never happen to them. I am grateful to have survived but with the pain of witnessing the loss of
lives of some fellow passengers and pilots.” said survivor Mufeeda Manathankandy from IX1344.

“Flying thousands of feet up in the sky travelling in a giant aluminum tube, is a marvel of an innovation by the human mind which most certainly comes with its risks and challenges. The crash is a saddening and extremely unfortunate incident. Such accidents often happen when we fail to foresee unfavorable factors. During the time of the accident the area was receiving heavy rainfall, dropping visibility to a bare minimum. The airport has one of the most dangerous runways in the country unfortunately did not favor flight IX1344” said Captain Mohan Ranganathan, Independent aviation professional.

“We, at Discovery, have previously brought to you award winning documentaries like Kerala Floods, India 2050 and some more interesting titles that range from the same genre, as we believe in bringing factual stories with expertise, that are known for going deep into the events to help decode the disasters. It not only enlightens our audiences but leaves them with an enriching experience and a better understanding of the world.” said Sai Abishek, Director, Content- Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment, South Asia at Discovery Inc. “We will continue to further accelerate our efforts to showcase never-seen-before Premium Discovery titles, must-watch documentaries and India originals.” he added.