Air Mauritius catches fire in Delhi
The impact was so powerful that it badly damaged the plane’s right engine leading to a fire.
As many as 241 passengers and 11 crew members were on-board when the incident took place. The incident created panic among the passengers and, according to sources, some of them have sustained minor injuries while attempting to skid out of the plane’s emergency exit.
Soon after the incident, emergency procedures were started with seven units of fire brigade and airport staff rushing to the spot for the relief and rescue work.
“All the passengers and the crew members were evacuated safely,” said an official of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
Within hours of the incident, flight movement at Indira Gandhi International Airport was reported to be normal.
DIAL officials said passengers were taken to a hotel. “We are trying to get in touch with the airline to know when and how they plan to fly their passengers to Mauritius,” said the DIAL official.
In a communiqué,
Air Mauritius confirms flight MK 745 was scheduled to leave Delhi at 13.30hrs local time on Thursday. The aircraft encountered a bird strike on one of its engines and the Captain decided to abort the take-off. As per the company procedures and in consultation with the Indian Civil Aviation Authorities, all passengers and crew were evacuated and are safe but some of them have suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. They have been attended upon by the Airport medical team and are now being provided with hotel accommodation until their departure from Delhi today Friday July 25 at 05.00 hrs local time Delhi. Arrival in Mauritius is now scheduled for 10.45hrs local time Mauritius.
Manoj R K Ujoodha G.O.S.K, CEO of Air Mauritius says: “We are sorry to learn about this incident caused by a bird strike at Delhi Airport. Our team in Delhi is on site and attending to all passengers and crew. I would like to pay a special tribute to our crew members for their professional handling of the evacuation jointly decided with the Civil Aviation Authorities. We have also decided to ferry an aircraft to Delhi in order to ensure that our passengers reach Mauritius at the earliest.”
Source : DefiMedia 25July
