An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra was delayed for over three hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital due to a technical snag which resulted from high ground temperatures.
The aircraft was parked on the tarmac and the IndiGo crew has said the flight has suffered a technical snag, resulting in the delay.
The Bagdogra airport is located near Siliguri in West Bengal. The flight was scheduled to take off at 2:10 pm and land at 4:10 pm. Online flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 shows the flight parked on the tarmac of the IGI airport. The flight took off at 5:51 pm, almost three hours from the scheduled departure time.
"Delhi and Bagdogra was delayed due to high ground temperatures impeding operations. IndiGo prioritises passenger safety above all else and is taking steps to enable a prompt departure. Passengers are being provided with regular updates and we regret the inconvenience caused due to factors beyond the airline's control," IndiGo said in a statement.
IndiGo operates the Airbus A20N, A32N and A21N aircraft on the Delhi-Bagdogra route.
NDTV's Vedanta Agarwal, who is on the delayed flight and is travelling to the West Bengal train accident site, said, "The IndiGo crew informed that they will be deboarding the passengers soon and arrange another aircraft, but there is no clarity on that yet."
Mr Agarwal said, "The deboarding is yet to begin and the passengers are getting impatient. It is one of the three flights to the train mishap site and the last flight of the day to Bagdogra, which is 60 km from the accident spot."
Mt Agarwal, quoting the IndiGo PRO, said, "High temperature triggered a technical snag in the aircraft, which is why refuelling could not be done properly."
"The crew is serving refreshments and providing water to the passengers but there is no clear communication from the officials. Some passengers told me that they heard of the accident and some of their relatives were on the train," he added.
Nine people, including three Railway employees, have died and about 50 others injured after an express train collided with a goods train in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal this morning. Kanchanjunga Express was travelling from Agartala in Tripura to Sealdah in Kolkata when a goods train hit it from the rear near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri.
Three coaches of Kanchanjunga Express were derailed in the crash. One factor which limited casualties is the fact that the rear part of Kanchanjunga Express comprised of the parcel coach and the guard's coach and the passenger compartments further ahead suffered less impact.
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