Passenger in dock for opening cover of emergency exit door aboard IndiGo plane
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New Delhi: A 40-year-old air passenger Furoqon Hussain, who was on an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to the national capital on July 8, allegedly opened the cover of the emergency exit door of the aircraft during taking off, according to Delhi airport sources.
The incident happened on flight 6E 5605 and the individual was handed over to the security personnel after landing at the Delhi airport. An FIR has been filed against the individual.
The unruly behaviour of the flyer caused panic among other passengers, crew and the pilot-in-command, the sources said.
The passenger was in seat 18A which was close to the emergency exit door. After the incident, the cover of the emergency exit was immediately restored and the passenger was relocated to another seat in the aircraft, they added.
Query sent to IndiGo seeking comments on the incident remained unanswered.
According to safety experts, the handle of the emergency exit door has a cover which protects it from opening due to cabin pressure or any other accidental reasons.
"If the cover is removed, then the handle is bare open and it can open mid-air due to any reason and it is hazardous for the aircraft," S S Panesar, former Director of Flight Safety at erstwhile Indian Airlines, said.
A crew member from an airline told PTI that the emergency exit cover is such that it cannot open by mistake.
"You have to pull it out and it needs effort. It is only out of mischief that someone can do that," the crew member said on the condition of anonymity.
"Passengers who are allocated seats closer to the emergency exit are told categorically that they should not fiddle with the cover or handle. If any passenger does it, it is clearly out of some mischief. It comes under the definition of unruly behaviour because it endangers the aircraft," the crew member said.
The sources said that based on a complaint filed by the airline, Delhi police has registered an FIR against the individual.
The police has invoked Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with endangering the personal safety of others and Section 22 of Aircraft Rules for refusing to follow a lawful instruction given by the pilot-in-command or crew of an aircraft, they said.
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Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 15 dead, forcing thousands to flee
Penco (Chile) (AP): Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 15 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 kilometres south of Santiago, the capital.
The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.
“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 C (100 F).
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.
“Many people didn't evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzman, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it."
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.
Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well," said Víctor Burboa, 54. "Everyone here knew them.”
