Mangaluru bound Air India Express flight yet to leave from Dammam Airport after over 18-hour delay
Mangaluru: Passengers bound for Mangaluru were left stranded and frustrated as an Air India Express flight scheduled to depart from Dammam International Airport faced extensive delays, lasting over 18 hours. The flight, initially set for takeoff at 10:20 pm on Wednesday night, had yet to depart by Thursday evening, prompting complaints from travelers who alleged a lack of communication from the airline.
According to passengers, Air India Express notified them of the flight's cancellation around midnight, promising a rescheduled departure on Thursday morning at 11 am. This unexpected announcement led to significant inconvenience for weary passengers who had been waiting at the airport.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati, one passenger revealed the challenges they faced in arranging accommodation, particularly for those who had traveled from distant locations to catch the flight. The airline reportedly failed to provide any assistance, including arrangements for food or accommodation.
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Adding to the ordeal, passengers arriving at the airport on Thursday morning were allowed to board the flight. However, after half an hour on board, they were unexpectedly deboarded, with the flight experiencing further delays. Passengers claimed that, as of 3 pm (Saudi time), authorities had not provided any updates on the status of their flight.
Expressing frustration, passengers highlighted the lack of responsiveness from Air India Express officials, who allegedly did not address inquiries about the prolonged delay. The situation left women, children, senior citizens, and patients waiting without proper provisions for over 18 hours.
The route from Dammam to Mangaluru is popular among individuals from Coastal Karnataka and neighboring Kerala due to the direct flight connection between the two airports. Vartha Bharati's attempts to reach Air India Express authorities for comments were unsuccessful at the time of reporting. The news will be updated upon receiving an official statement from Air India Express.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
