A nine-seater aircraft carrying six passengers crashed near the Jagada block close to the Rourkela airstrip in Odisha on Saturday. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft crashed while attempting
to take off for Bhubaneswar.
The aircraft, operating an IndiaOne Air flight from Rourkela, reportedly ran into trouble moments after takeoff and came down near the airstrip area. It is learnt that the Charlie-208 aircraft had two pilots on board at the time of the crash. No casualties have been reported so far, though the passengers and pilots have sustained injuries.
Soon after information was received about the crash landing, emergency teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to a shifted to a hospital for treatment. The crew members and all passengers were reported to be out of danger.
The injured pilots have been identified as Captain Naveen Kadanga and co-pilot Tarun Srivastav. The injured passengers include Sushant Kumar Biwal, Anita sahu, Sunil Agarwal, Sabita Agarwarl.
The aircraft is reported to have crashed approximately 10–15 kilometres from Rourkela. In response, the administration and concerned agencies have been placed on high alert, with local authorities putting security measures and assistance arrangements in place.
Bhubaneswar Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan confirmed the incident. Meanwhile, state’s Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena said that it was a major accident but fortunately no lives were lost. A mechanical failure is suspected to be the cause of the crash landing. A detailed investigation will be conducted to ascertain the exact reason.
