SRINAGAR, May 22: An IndiGo flight carrying more than 220 passengers, including prominent Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, narrowly escaped disaster on Wednesday when it encountered a sudden hailstorm while flying from Delhi to Srinagar. The pilot declared an emergency to Srinagar air traffic control as the plane experienced severe turbulence, but ultimately landed safely at Srinagar Airport, where it has since been grounded for inspections.

Videos shared on social media captured the tense moments inside the aircraft, with passengers heard making religious prayers as the plane swayed violently. Several passengers reported damage to the nose and right side of the aircraft, though no official confirmation of the extent of the damage has been provided.

An official from the Airport Authority of India confirmed, “IndiGo flight 6E2142 enroute Delhi to Srinagar experienced bad weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar).” The flight landed safely at 6:30 pm, and all 227 passengers and crew onboard are reported safe. The airline declared the flight AOG (aircraft on ground), meaning it is temporarily grounded due to technical issues.

Among those onboard was a TMC delegation including Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Nadimul Haque, Mamata Thakur, and Manas Bhuyan. Sagarika Ghose described the experience as “near-death,” saying, “People were screaming, praying and panicking. Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed, we saw the nose of the plane had blown up.”

Passenger Owais Maqbool Hakeem tweeted that the nose and right side of the plane were damaged and that airforce police restricted passengers from seeing much after landing.

Another passenger recalled an announcement made 20-30 minutes before landing to fasten seat belts due to anticipated turbulence. Within minutes, the turbulence escalated to the extent that many feared it would be their last flight. The passenger expressed gratitude to the pilot for a safe landing, despite having never experienced such severe turbulence before.

IndiGo later issued a statement confirming the flight’s encounter with a sudden hailstorm and emphasized that the crew followed established protocols. “The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar,” the airline said. IndiGo also assured that the airport team prioritized passenger wellbeing upon arrival and that the aircraft will be released only after thorough inspection and maintenance.