In an unfortunate turn of events, an Air India Boeing 777 en route to the United States with 216 passengers and 16 crew members had to be rerouted to a small port city in Russia due to a sudden engine issue.
On Tuesday evening, the aircraft, which was on its way from New Delhi to San Francisco, had to make an unscheduled landing in Magadan, Russia. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department acknowledged the incident, confirming that American citizens were potentially among the passengers on board, although specific numbers remain unconfirmed.
In an official statement, Air India mentioned that the aircraft experienced a technical glitch in midair but was skillfully diverted and safely brought down at Magadan Airport. Magadan, a relatively isolated oblast with a population of approximately 136,085 according to the 2021 census, offered limited resources to the displaced passengers. Consequently, they had to be relocated to makeshift accommodations in the interim.
Addressing the unique predicament, Air India admitted to the absence of its ground staff in the secluded city of Magadan or Russia at large. "All ground support being provided to the passengers is the best possible in this unusual circumstance through our round the clock liaison with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, local ground handlers, and Russian authorities," the carrier noted.
The airline further declared that a relief aircraft was scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 1 pm on Wednesday, aimed at fetching the stranded passengers from Magadan and carrying them to their final destination in San Francisco.
Vedant Patel, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, confirmed knowledge of the incident. "We are aware of a US-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely," Patel stated. "I am not able to confirm how many U.S. citizens were aboard the flight at this time."
Following Air India's announcement, dissatisfaction ensued on Twitter, with friends and family of the passengers voicing their frustration over the lack of communication. One tweet read, "How come no one has been able to reach the passengers in 18 hours after landing?"
A video emerged on Wednesday morning, purportedly shot by one of the passengers. The clip highlighted the cramped conditions the displaced passengers were enduring, with passengers shown sleeping on mattresses laid on the floor.
One of the passengers, a 16-year-old named Girvaan Kaahma, who was traveling with his uncle and brother, shed light on their situation. According to him, they were restricted from leaving the hostel in Magadan. They could not use their credit cards to make purchases from vending machines due to sanctions imposed over Russia's conflict with Ukraine.
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