Trinamool MP describes ‘near-death experience' after IndiGo flight gets caught in hailstorms
The flight, 6E 2142, was carrying a delegation of five Trinamool Congress leaders - Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur - to Poonch when it encountered rough weather mid-air.
Describing the ordeal, Ghose said that people on the flight were screaming, praying and panicking. She applauded the pilot for ensuring that all 200 passengers landed safely in Srinagar.
"It was a near death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking," Ghose said.
"Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed we saw the nose of the plane had blown up," she said, adding, the delegation thanked the pilot after the landing.
The aircraft with 200 people onboard landed safely in Srinagar.
Videos of the moments of turbulence emerged on social media showing panicked passengers praying for their lives as the plane swayed.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed concern in a post on 'X'. 'Just saw some scary turbulence visuals of the Indigo Delhi-Srinagar flight and came across this pic tweeted by @sidhant,' saw TMC RS MP Nadimul Haque, on checking realised their entire delegation headed to Poonch was indeed on the flight,' she wrote.
Reacting to the incident, Chaturvedi expressed relief that everyone on board the flight was safe. She said, 'Glad to hear that all the passengers and @sagarikaghose @MdNadimulHaque6 @derekobrienmp, Mamata Thakur and Hon. WB minister Manas Bhuiyan are all fine. The captain of the flight deserves to be honoured for keeping calm despite the storm and safeguarding everyone on the flight.'
IndiGo confirmed the incident in a statement. 'IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered a sudden hailstorm en route,' the airline said. 'The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar. The airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritizing their wellbeing and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance.'
At least 13 flights were diverted from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday evening as heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across the city, severely affecting air traffic.
According to a source, 12 of the diverted flights were rerouted to Jaipur, while one international flight was sent to Mumbai.
IndiGo Airlines confirmed that weather conditions were affecting flight schedules across several cities. 'Our flight schedules are currently impacted due to the heavy rains and thunderstorm sweeping across Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkata,' the airline posted on X.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the airport operator, also issued a weather advisory. 'Flight operations may be impacted due to inclement weather conditions and thunderstorms in the national capital,' DIAL said.
The weather disruption was part of a larger storm that affected the Delhi region on Wednesday. The sudden weather shift brought relief from a heatwave that had gripped Delhi for days, with temperatures rising above 40°C. Heavy rain, hail, and winds hit several parts of Delhi-NCR in the evening.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a large cloud formation moved from North Delhi toward the south and southeast, triggering a dust storm and winds blowing at speeds up to 70 km/h along with light rainfall.
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