In a tragic development, at least 40 flamingoes died after being hit by an Emirate flight in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. Emirate flight flamingo accident took place on Monday. the flight, EK 508, coming from Dubai landed safely in Mumbai. The incident took place near the Laxmi Nagar area of Pantnagar in Mumbai. The return flight, bound for Dubai, was cancelled late on Monday night as the aircraft was grounded for a full-scale inspection. The development left several passengers stranded at Mumbai airport. The Emirates flight 509 to Dubai will now depart on Tuesday at 9 pm. The passengers have been provided accommodation by the airline as per procedure.
As per reports, flight EK-508, carrying approximately 310 passengers, safely landed around 9:15 p.m. at CSMIA. During the checking, the team did not find any carcasses of the flamingoes on or around the runway and airport premises. Later, a team of forest officials reportedly recovered the carcasses of 40 flamingos in the Laxminagar area of Pant Nagar, outside the airport boundaries. Broken pieces of wings, claws, and beaks were strewn all over.
Following Emirate EK-508 flamingoes accident, the Maharashtra forest department has launched an investigation. Another team from the forest department will record the statement of the pilot flying the Emirates aircraft. "Our team is on the ground and a full-scale investigation has been launched to find out the cause of death of the flamingos. We will also record the statement of the pilot who informed about the bird hit," SV Ramarao, additional chief conservator of forest, was quoted saying.
Reports suggest that a flock of flamingoes was flying toward the Thane Flamingo Sanctuary when it was hit by the aircraft.
Watch Video