Kochi: An elderly couple survived some really tense moments when an aircraft flew past their house near the Kochi airport in Nedumbassery at low altitude on Sunday morning, causing the roof tiles to fall in the impact. Houseowner Simon K J (80) sustained shoulder injuries.Simon and his wife Sosamma (70) had just returned home after visiting their parish for Sunday prayers around 8.25am. “Soon after we reached home, my husband suggested we watch World Cup football. He switched on television and sat on a chair in the drawing room. I too sat near him on a sofa but soon went to kitchen,” Sosamma said.“That time we heard the deafening sound of a flight passing by and heard roof tiles falling. The tiles first fell onto the tin sheet below the roof. A tile fell in the drawing room and I pulled my husband to a safe zone. Still, the tile fell on his shoulders causing injuries. Had it fallen on his head, it could have been fatal,” she recalled.The octogenarian had undergone a surgery for fistula and had his ankle broken a few months ago, she said.The couple lodged complaints with the airport authorities and Nedumbassery police.“With our neighbours’ support, we put a polythene sheet over the roof to cover the damaged portion to prevent rainwater from entering the house. We can’t live in the house until it is repaired. So, we moved to the house of husband’s brother nearby,” Sosamma said.Airport authorities said they carried out a preliminary probe into the incident. “It was found that the reason for the damage caused to the house was the impact of the aircraft flying at low altitude. There wasn’t heavy wind sweeping in the area at that time. Still, detailed inquiries will have to be completed to find out whether the aircraft was flying at low altitude. As per the initial probe, it was caused by a foreign airline. So, we will need the support of the Union govt and various agencies to go ahead with next measures including seeking compensation,” an airport official said.Residents, meanwhile, said such incidents were recurring in the area. “A few days ago, the roof of another house at Okkal, a couple of kilometres from the airport, was damaged in a similar incident. Another incident occurred in our area one year ago,” said Nedumbassery panchayat former member Bindhu Sabu.
