Hailstorm hits Srinagar-bound flight, craft damaged

THE 227 passengers on board a Srinagar-bound Indigo flight from Delhi had a harrowing experience as a sudden hailstorm disrupted their journey on Wednesday evening.

- S LALITHA @ New Delhi

The storm triggered panic on board before the aircraft landed at Srinagar with all passengers safe. The nose cone of the aircraft, however, bore the brunt of hailstorm, with a gaping hole torn into it.

Flight 6E 2142 had departed from Terminal 1 of IGI at 5 pm. It landed at Srinagar at 6.45 pm, after a delay of 15 minutes.

A video released by a passenger showed flashes of lightning outside, with screams of passengers, particularly children, audible in the background.

A passenger Jeetendra Rana posted thus: The sky wreaked havoc on Indigo flight — the nose cone of the plane was shattered by the hail. But the pilot overcame fear, defeated death, and landed the flight safely on the ground. It was a flight of courage — the storm was defeated, we won.