Rourkela: As many as six people were injured after a nine-seater private aircraft crash-landed in the Lathikata area of Rourkela on Saturday afternoon.

According to reports, the IndiaOne Air aircraft made an emergency landing in a farmland near Katibandha Kansara at around 1.30 pm. The single-engine plane, carrying four passengers and two pilots, reportedly developed a technical snag after flying for about four to five kilometres, forcing the pilot to crash-land the aircraft.

The Caravan 208 bearing Regn. VT-KSS plane was en route to Rourkela from Bhubaneswar when the incident occurred. It departed from the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar at 12:27 pm.

With the assistance of local residents, police personnel rescued the injured from the damaged aircraft. All the injured were shifted to a hospital in Rourkela, where they are undergoing treatment.

Out of the injured, five individuals have been identified: the pilots, Nabin Khangra and Tarun Srivastav, and passengers Anita Sahoo, Sunil Agarwal, Sabita Agarwal. The identity of the fourth passenger had not been ascertained at the time of filing this report.

The three passengers are being treated at J.P. Hospital and two pilots and one passenger are undergoing treatment at RGH, Rourkela.

Confirming the incident, ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said the Rourkela Superintendent of Police, along with police teams and fire services personnel, rushed to the spot immediately. He added as aviation fuel was leaking from the aircraft, the area has been cordoned off as a precautionary measure, and entry has been restricted to prevent any untoward incident.

Directorate of Civil Aviation issues statement

The Directorate of Civil Aviation stated eight Nautical miles short of reaching Rourkela, the aircraft force landed at a place near Jalda. Pilots have ensured the landing due to which lives have been saved.

Mentioning the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Civil Aviation and other concerened authorities have been informed about the mishap, the Directorate of Aviation stated as per the Regulations, the airline shall be reporting the details to the DGCA / Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for further actions.

Stating the situation is being closely monitored, the Directorate said the Chief Minister has reviewed the developments and directed concerned officials to extend all necessary support from the state to the passengers, pilots and authorities. The Minister for Commerce and Transport is also monitoring the situation.

A control room has been set up and made operational at the Directorate of Civil Aviation (Landline: 0674-2596128; Mobile: 9861096371).

A team from the DGCA has departed from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata and is expected to reach Rourkela later this evening. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is likely to arrive by tomorrow to conduct a detailed investigation. Meanwhile, two officials from the Directorate of Civil Aviation have been deputed to Rourkela to coordinate with all stakeholders, the Directorate said.