A pilot, a co-pilot and five passengers were injured after a small plane crashed near the Rourkela area of Odisha on Saturday afternoon, January 10. According to information, the plane with six passengers and a pilot flying to Bhubaneshwar went down suddenly in the bushes under Raghunathpali police limits in Rourkela.
The aircraft belonging to IndiaOne Air was en route to Bhubaneswar from Rourkela. All were shifted to a nearby JP Hospital by locals for treatment. After receiving the information, rescue teams, including police, immediately reached the spot.
India One Air type of aircraft (Caravan 208) bearing Regn. VT-KSS departed at 12.27 pm on Saturday, before reaching Rourkela, 8 Nautical miles short, he aircraft force-landed near Jalda. Pilots have ensured the landing due to which lives have been saved, the Odisha government said in a statement reported by the news agency ANI.
An investigation is underway to find the exact reason behind the crash. As per initial reports, the aircraft crashed around 10 kilometres away from Rourkela.
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The people injured were identified as Captain Naveen Kadanga and Captain Tarun Srivastava. The four injured passengers are Susanta Kumar Biswal, Anita Sahoo, Sunil Agarwal and Sabita Agarwal, according to Pragativadi.
Along with ambulances, three fire brigade teams rushed to the scene to douse the blaze. The Command Centre of Fire & Emergency Services coordinated efforts at the crash site to secure the aircraft and assist the injured.
As per eyewitness reports, panic was reported in the area after the aircraft attempted an emergency landing before crashing down to the ground near Jalda.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep grief over the plane crash near Rourkela. In a post on X, Majhi said he was saddened to learn about the plane crash. He said that all passengers were safe by the grace of Lord Jagannath.
“I have directed officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to those injured. I am personally monitoring the situation and praying to Lord Jagannath for the speedy recovery of everyone affected,” Majhi stated.
Odisha Commerce & Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena said the plane was crashed due to low air pressure in the area. He said, "all passengers are stable... I appeal to the people not to panic and to have faith that such an incident will not happen again... I thank God for his grace that nothing more serious happened."
Accident has been informed to Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Civil Aviation and all concerned. As per the Regulations, Airline shall be reporting the details to the DGCA / Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for further actions, said Government of Odisha.