Akasa Air flight makes emergency landing for ailing passenger who later dies in hospital
Bhopal, Aug 15: A Varanasi-Mumbai flight of Akasa Air with 172 passengers on board on Thursday made an emergency landing at the Raja Bhoj Airport here after a passenger fell sick, an official said.
While the passenger was declared dead after an examination by doctors, the flight left for Mumbai at around 6pm after mandatory inspection formalities were completed, an official said.
Akasa Air flight QP1492, flying from Varanasi to Mumbai on 15 August 2024, made a diversion and landed in Bhopal on account of a medical emergency on board. Despite the best efforts of our cabin crew and a doctor on board who provided immediate assistance, the passenger, unfortunately, passed away," the airline said in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with the relatives and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We acknowledge the efforts of our cabin crew and the assisting doctor for their swift response to this emergency," the airline added.
Later in the evening, airport director Ramji Awasthi told PTI, "The flight left for Mumbai at 6pm after the aircraft maintenance engineer of the airline arrived from Ahmedabad and gave the mandatory green light for the onward journey after examination."
Awasthi said airport authorities asked Air India to provide refreshments to the passengers during the stop over since Akasa Air does not operate from the Raja Bhoj facility.
The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control and made emergency landing at 11.40 am after a passenger faced a serious health issue, and he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, Awasthi told PTI earlier.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
