Odisha aircraft crash landing; one injured passenger dies

Bhubaneswar, Jan 17 (PTI) One passenger, who was seriously injured in the crash landing of a small aircraft near Odisha's Rourkela city, died on Saturday while being shifted to the airport for airlifting to Mumbai, an officer said.

The deceased passenger was identified as Susanta Biswal (47).

Biswal was undergoing treatment at a private hospital after the crash, the state's Directorate of Civil Aviation said in a statement this evening.

However, the health condition of Biswal's sister Anita Sahoo, who was also injured in the crash, has remained stable, officials said.

At least six people, including two pilots, were injured when a nine-seater aircraft of IndiaOne made an emergency crash landing near Rourkela in Odisha on January 10 afternoon.

Out of the six injured, two were airlifted to a hospital in Mumbai on their personal wish, while the other four, including two pilots and Biswal, have been under treatment in a private hospital in Rourkela city.

Despite timely medical intervention and continuous monitoring, his condition remained critical due to pre-existing heart failure and renal failure. Subsequently, he developed a severe lung infection, which led to further deterioration of his health, it said.

Considering the seriousness of his condition, the government planned to shift the patient to Mumbai for tertiary-level treatment through air evacuation to ensure better medical outcomes.

"However, while being transferred to the air ambulance, the patient suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed. Despite the best efforts of the attending medical team, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 4:23 pm on Saturday," the directorate said.

A relative of the patient accompanied him throughout the entire treatment and evacuation process. "In this moment of deep grief, we stand in solidarity with the bereaved family," the statement said.

The airline concerned has assured compensation to the next of kin as per applicable norms. All prescribed medical protocols and emergency procedures were duly followed, it said.

Meanwhile, a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) conducted an investigation into the crash in Odisha and will submit the report to their authority, the officials said. PTI BBM BBM RG