At least 40 passengers were injured after cabin luggage fell on flyers mid-air as a plane got caught up in a storm. The SpiceJet plane was attempting a landing at Kazi Nazrul Islam airport in West Bengal’s Durgapur.
Out of 40, at least 10 have sustained serious injuries. The rest were discharged after receiving treatment for minor injuries. The hospital authorities stated that the condition of ten passengers is critical but they are out of danger.
A probe is underway to ascertain how the plane got caught in the storm. The plane ran itself into major mid-air turbulence following extreme bad weather.
The flight was about to land at Andal airport when the flight began to hobble and cabin baggage fell on top of passengers as the flight experienced massive turbulence.
Speaking to India Today, one of the passengers said, “There were three jerks while landing. It felt exactly how it feels when cars hit bumpers. We had seat belts on. The belts tore on impact. We jounced on our seats.”
In an official statement, SpiceJet confirmed the incident and said its Boeing B737 aircraft operating flight SG -945 from Mumbai to Durgapur encountered severe turbulence during descent which resulted in injuries to a few passengers.
“Immediate medical assistance was provided upon arrival in Durgapur. SpiceJet expresses its regret at this unfortunate incident and is providing all possible medical help to the injured,” SpiceJet said.
It further said, “It was not an emergency landing as the plane was scheduled to land at Andal airport. The problem occurred due to air turbulence by a norwesters locally called Kalbaishakhi, a storm.”
Reacting to the incident, newly elected TMC MLA Babul Supriyo said, “Extremely distressed to hear this. Relieved there isn’t any fatality and severely injured passengers have been taken to the hospital.”
