Survivor of 1993 Indian Airlines crash remembers tragedy
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): As the crash of the Air India flight in Ahmedabad has shocked the country, a resident of Parbhani in Maharashtra recalled another aircraft accident that took place 32 years ago and claimed 55 lives.
Vasant Shinde, a former municipal council president of Jintur in Parbhani district, told a news channel on Friday that he survived the tragedy only because he was sitting near the cockpit and not in the rear part where the fuel tank was located.
He was on board the ill-fated Indian Airlines plane that took off from Chikalthana airport in Aurangabad district (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) on April 26, 1993.
The landing gear of the Aurangabad-Mumbai flight 491, however, hit a truck on the road at the end of the runway as it was taking off and then flew into high-tension power lines before crash-landing in a field, breaking into three pieces and catching fire.
Of the 112 passengers on board, 55 died.
"Congress MLA Ramprasad Bordikar and I were going to Mumbai for Sharad Pawar's programme. We were unsure about whether we would get air tickets. But a family from Parbhani cancelled their tickets, and so we were accommodated. I was lucky to be sitting close to the cockpit," Shinde told a news channel.
"The aircraft did not gain the speed required for the take-off, and its rear landing gear dashed against a truck outside the airport. The pilot somehow managed to land at a farm in the Varud Shivar area," he said.
"Bordikar and I had been offered seats in the rear, but we preferred to sit near the cockpit. We could escape, but those in the rear section were charred to death in the fire," Shinde added.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
