Many passengers reportedly felt ill due to prolonged exposure to such heat.
In a scorching heat wave, passengers of a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Darbhanga in Bihar were forced to sit inside the aircraft without air conditioning for over an hour. In videos that have gone viral, passengers can be seen passing out on an overcrowded flight.
In one video, commuters are seen using brochures, magazines, handkerchiefs and whatever else they can get their hands on to fan themselves at high speed. Many wipe the sweat from their faces. Several passengers reportedly felt unwell after sitting in the heat for so long.
# See | Passengers of the Delhi-to-Darbhanga (SG 476) SpiceJet had to wait inside the non-air-conditioned (AC) aircraft for over an hour amid the ongoing heat wave, with many feeling unwell. pic.twitter.com/cIj2Uu1SQT
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2024
SpiceJet said flight SG476 departed Delhi airport at 11 am “without any delay” and the air conditioning was normal during the flight as well as the return to Delhi. But the airline admitted there were AC problems during boarding “due to extreme weather conditions”.
“During boarding in Delhi, the air-conditioning initially suffered minor malfunction due to severe weather conditions and both doors of the aircraft being open, as boarding was not through the aerobridge,” an airline spokesperson said. .
Rohan Kumar, a passenger, told news agency ANI that the flight's AC was switched on after take-off. “At the Delhi airport after check-in, they didn't turn on the air conditioning for an hour. The temperature inside the flight was at least 40 degrees, causing trouble for the passengers. When the flight took off, the AC was on. was done,” he said.
The incident took place after an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra in Bengal was delayed for three hours due to extreme heat. Officials said high ground temperature caused a technical glitch that led to the delay.
Soaring temperatures in the national capital and other parts of north India have left lakhs of people vulnerable to heatstroke. At least five people have died in the last two days and 12 people are on life support at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital due to heatwave.
Soaring temperatures in the national capital and other parts of north India have left lakhs of people vulnerable to heatstroke. At least seven people have died in the last two days and 12 people are on life support at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital due to heatwave.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi's heat index, or “feeling” temperature, soared to 50 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius last night.