Indian air ambulance makes emergency landing in Bangladesh after door malfunction; patient dies

An Indian woman died after an air ambulance carrying her from Agartala to Kolkata made an emergency landing in Bangladesh following a technical fault that caused the aircraft’s door to partially open mid-flight, local media reported.

The Beechcraft King Air C90A aircraft, registered as VT-HYA, encountered the problem while climbing through 12,000 feet on Sunday, the state-owned BSS news agency reported.

The aircraft landed safely at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 1:40 pm local time with seven people on board, including two pilots, the patient, a doctor, a paramedic and two companions.

The patient, identified as 56-year-old Anjana Bhowmik, was taken to Kurmitola Multicare Specialised Hospital, where doctors declared her dead, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

All other occupants of the aircraft were safe, the report said.

The exact circumstances surrounding Bhowmik’s death remain unclear. It is not known whether her death was linked to the aircraft’s technical malfunction or other medical complications.

Md Riaz Uddin, spokesperson for the executive director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, told The Daily Star newspaper that the aircraft developed a mechanical problem during the flight, causing its door to open.

Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamrul Hasan Talukder told the newspaper that Bhowmik died at the hospital on Sunday at 4:40 pm local time.

Bangladeshi authorities assisted the air ambulance on humanitarian grounds despite the aircraft lacking the required clearance for an international landing, BSS reported.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka coordinated with Bangladeshi officials to facilitate the necessary diplomatic formalities, the agency said.

The aircraft was operated by India's SKB Infracon Pvt Ltd and remained at Dhaka airport while authorities worked to resolve the clearance issues, The Daily Star reported.