After having to make an emergency landing, an airplane carrying passengers heading for the US was forced to leave hundreds of people stranded in a small Siberian town.
Instead of arriving in San Francisco as they had hoped, the passengers are forced to spend the night on thin mattresses in neighborhood classrooms in the isolated Russian port town of Magadan.
US Passengers Stranded in Siberian Town After Emergency Landing
Tuesday’s Air India aircraft from Delhi had 232 passengers on board when one of the engines experienced technical issues.
The jet was redirected to Magadan when the captain decided to make an emergency landing.
Many of the stranded passengers had to stay in makeshift accommodations despite the airline sending a plane to pick them up.
The airline stated that it has no local employees and that all ground support being provided to the customers is being provided in the best manner in this rare circumstance.
A ferry flight left Mumbai for Magadan early on Wednesday and is scheduled to get there around 6:30 am on Thursday time zone.
A team was onboard the flight to offer any support that the passengers and employees at GDX may require, Air India said in a video it shared of the replacement plane taking off from the airport.
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Passengers Stranded in Siberia Await Repairs for Flight to San Francisco
On Thursday, the plane is scheduled to transport the travelers to San Francisco.
Meanwhile, one of the passengers with his brother and uncle, 16-year-old Girvaan Singh Kahma took the flight. He asserted that they are unable to leave the hostel where they are staying in Magadan or use their credit cards to make purchases due to sanctions related to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, India’s minister of civil aviation, told reporters: “That jet needs to be fixed; mechanics are boarding.”
Vedant Patel, the chief deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, stated in a briefing on Tuesday that it was probable that Americans were engaged.
One stranded traveler told the Indian station NDTV that many US citizens were concerned owing to the hostilities between the US and Russia.
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