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 Cessna 208 aircraft had two pilots on board at the time of the crash. No casualties have been reported so far, though both passengers and pilots sustained injuries.
Soon after information about the crash landing was received, emergency teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to a hospital for treatment. The crew members and all passengers are reported to be out of danger. Fire units from Rourkela Fire Station and Panposh Fire Station were also deployed to assist in rescue operations.
All injured 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 and Sabita Agarwal.
The aircraft reportedly crashed approximately 10–15 kilometres from Rourkela. Following the incident, the administration and concerned agencies were 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 Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena said it was a major accident, but fortunately no lives were lost. A mechanical failure is suspected to be the cause of the crash landing, and a detailed investigation will be conducted to ascertain the exact reason.
