While there was a sigh of relief as the Sharjah-bound Air India flight, which developed a technical snag immediately after takeoff from Trichy, landed safely after circling over the city for nearly 2.5 hours, a train accident involving a collision with a stationary goods train at Kavarapettai caused alarm late on Friday (Oct 11) evening.
The Air India flight, with 144 passengers on board, took off at 5:40 pm and began circling above Trichy after the pilot noticed that the hydraulic mechanism of the landing gear had developed a snag, preventing the wheels from retracting.
“All the passengers, including six infants, are safe and secure. Pilot Daniel must be congratulated for the safe landing,” Trichy District Collector M Pradeep Kumar told the media.
“The pilot was flying around the city to exhaust the fuel so that it could belly land. The airport was also prepared for this. Emergency response services, including fire and rescue personnel and ambulances, were on standby. Chief Minister MK Stalin had issued necessary directions. However, the adept pilot ensured a normal landing without any issues,” he explained, adding that an alternative flight to Singapore had been arranged for the passengers, or they could wait until the Air India flight’s snag was rectified.
Passengers were not informed about the snag or the return of the Boeing aircraft to Trichy airport until the flight landed safely.
“We were not told anything when in midair. We believed that the flight was on its way to Sharjah. The landing was smooth and not unusual,” recounted Shahul Hameed, a passenger, to the media at the airport.
Expressing relief at the safe landing, Stalin wrote in an ‘X’ post: “I am heartened to hear that the Air India Express flight has landed safely. Upon receiving the news of the landing gear issue, I immediately coordinated an emergency meeting with officials over the phone and instructed them to implement all safety measures. My compliments to the captain and crew for the safe landing.”
The Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Superfast Express collided with a stationary goods train at Kavarapettai, near Gummidipoondi, about 90 km north of Chennai, close to the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border, late on Friday (Oct 11) evening.
According to initial reports, six coaches of the Mysore-Darbhanga train derailed, and three of them caught fire due to the impact of the collision. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the passengers.
Upon receiving information, railway officials, along with revenue, police, fire, and rescue services, rushed to the spot. The collision occurred when the train, heading to Darbhanga from Mysore via Chennai, entered the loop line where the goods train was stationed at around 8:30 pm.
DMK legislator TJ Govindarajan, representing Gummidipoondi constituency, who rushed to the spot, said rescue efforts were underway with the assistance of locals. The NDRF team from Vellore had also rushed to the accident site. The injured are being taken to nearby hospitals.
So far, no casualties have been reported.