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Air India aircraft (symbolic image)
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The passengers of an Air India plane are stranded in Siberia on their way from New Delhi to San Francisco. The Boeing 777 aircraft had "technical problems with one of its engines" on Tuesday and had to make an emergency landing in the city of Magadan.
Due to the limited infrastructure of the airport, the 216 passengers and 16 crew members were accommodated in emergency shelters, the airline said.
In the meantime, another plane is on its way to Magadan. Passengers should be provided with food and other essential goods, the airline said. In addition, the passengers are to be taken to San Francisco by plane.
"A lot of people here are nervous"
According to one passenger, many U.S. citizens were on the plane. "A lot of people here are nervous," he told NDTV. A 16-year-old, who was traveling with his brother and uncle, told the AP news agency that they were not allowed to leave the accommodation in Magadan. In addition, they would not be able to use their credit cards to buy items from the vending machine because of the sanctions against Russia because of the war against Ukraine.
It is "likely" that Americans are on board in view of the planned destination airport San Francisco, said a spokesman for the US State Department on Tuesday. Air India has not yet responded to a question about the nationalities of the passengers.
On Monday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby criticized the flights of competitors in Russian airspace. He was referring in particular to unscheduled landings if a U.S. citizen among the passengers falls ill or if there are technical problems.
bbr/Reuters/AP