Mohali:- 198 passengers and six crew members of the Hyderabad-Chandigarh flight were evacuated in an emergency at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh at around 3:30 pm today. This action was taken after smoke spread in the plane due to a minor explosion in a passenger's bag carrying a power bank. There were 198 passengers and six crew members on board the plane, who were evacuated using sliders.
The passenger sitting in seat number 39C informed the crew about the fire. The crew responded with a fire extinguisher, but by the time the plane reached Bay 1, smoke had spread throughout the cabin. Officials said that the crew opened the emergency gate and declared an emergency.
The passengers started disembarking through the slider and during this, a female passenger suffered a sprained ankle. An Air Force fire truck immediately reached the spot but was not used as the smoke had cleared by then. Airport CEO Ajay Verma said, "A detailed report from the airline is awaited."
One person was injured after a minor scare caused by the explosion. Passengers had to be evacuated from the flight as a precaution after the plane came to a halt. IndiGo Airlines officials followed emergency protocols to evacuate passengers and crew from the plane. Airport officials are monitoring the situation. Sources said the explosion took place in the bag of a passenger sitting in seat 39A.
The flight was delayed for an hour after the incident.