DHAKA, Oct 19: An Indian woman died after an air ambulance carrying her made an emergency landing at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport following a technical malfunction during a flight from Agartala to Kolkata, Bangladeshi media reported on Monday.
The Beechcraft King Air C90A, registered as VT-HYA, reportedly developed a mechanical problem on Sunday while climbing through an altitude of 12,000 feet. The fault caused the aircraft’s door to partially open mid-flight, prompting the crew to divert to Dhaka, the state run BSS news agency reported.
The aircraft landed safely at approximately 1:40 pm local time, with seven people on board, including two pilots, a 56 year old patient, a doctor, a paramedic and two accompanying persons.
The patient, identified as Anjana Bhowmik, was subsequently taken to Kurmitola Multicare Specialised Hospital. Doctors declared her dead later that afternoon, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. Authorities have not established whether it was connected to the aircraft’s technical malfunction or resulted from her underlying medical condition.
Md Riaz Uddin, spokesperson for the executive director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, told The Daily Star that the aircraft had encountered a mechanical problem that caused its door to open during the journey.
Kamrul Hasan Talukder, officer-in-charge of the Airport Police Station, told the newspaper that Bhowmik died at the hospital at approximately 4:40 pm local time on Sunday.
The other six occupants, including the flight crew and medical personnel, were reported to be safe following the emergency landing.
Bangladeshi authorities facilitated the aircraft’s landing on humanitarian grounds despite the absence of the required clearance for an international landing, according to BSS.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka coordinated with local authorities to complete the necessary diplomatic formalities and assist in managing the situation.
The aircraft, operated by India’s SKB Infracon Pvt Ltd, remained at Dhaka airport as officials worked to address the outstanding clearance requirements, The Daily Star reported.
Further details about the technical failure and the circumstances of the patient’s death had not been established in the initial reports.