Forty people have been injured after a SpiceJet flight travelling from Mumbai to West Bengal’s Durgapur experienced turbulence while landing at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport. Of the 40, 17 are severely wounded. The incident happened around 7:30 pm on Sunday.”
The Associated News International (ANI) reported that at the SpiceJet Boeing B737 aircraft, many passengers suffered head injuries from falling baggage.
However, they were provided immediate medical assistance after the flight landed at the Durgapur airport.
“The flight was about to land at Durgapur airport when the aircraft began to hobble as the flight experienced massive turbulence following extreme bad weather. A Few passengers were severely injured during this major mid-air turbulence,” Akbar Ansari, an injured flyer, told ANI.
SpiceJet officials said the flight SG-945 “encountered severe turbulence during descent which unfortunately resulted in injuries to a few passengers”, expressing its regrets over the “unfortunate incident”.
“SpiceJet Boeing B737 aircraft operating flight SG-945 from Mumbai to Durgapur encountered severe turbulence during descent which unfortunately resulted in injuries to a few passengers. Immediate medical assistance was provided upon arrival in Durgapur,” the company said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken cognizance of the incident and ordered a probe. In a statement, the aviation regulatory body said the DGCA is in contact with the airport officials to provide assistance to the injured passengers and crew members.
“We are deputing teams for regulatory investigation, while medical reports of the injured passengers are awaited,” it said.
The incident has brought back the memories of the Air India Express plane crash in Kerala’s Kozhikode airport in which 18 people were killed while dozen others were injured. The flight returning from Dubai skidded off the tabletop runway at Karipur Airport and plunged into a 35 feet deep gorge, breaking into two pieces.