NEW DELHI: Among the 227 passengers aboard the Indigo flight 6E 2142 which survived a sudden hailstorm en route to Srinagar was Sheikh Samiullah, the CEO of start-up FastBeetle. Reliving the ordeal passengers went through for five terrifying minutes, Samiullah said that they all thought they wouldn't survive.
Speaking exclusively to TNIE, Samiullah, who had been seated in 16B, said, "The flight was jam-packed and everything was smooth for some time after we took off by 5 pm. Half our journey was completed. As we were crossing Pathankot (Punjab) by 5.40 pm. the pilot asked everyone to tighten their seat belts and asked the crew to remain seated as they were crossing a path of turbulence."
Everyone did as advised. "I was quite cool about it. I travel frequently to different parts of the world and have heard of flight turbulences and thought it would be something minor. However, what followed was the most traumatic experience in my life. I really thought it would be the last flight of my life."
Saimullah said, "There were streaks of lightning visible through all the windows. There was a dark yellowish colour enveloping the aircraft. The flight was going up and then down. This happened continuously many times and it gave you the feeling of being on a rollercoaster. This went on for five minutes. Everyone was frightened and in complete panic. A kid was vomiting."
All Gods invoked
There were loud chants of names of Gods of all religions around. “People were crying openly and my friend and I too had tears streaming down our face. It was such a traumatic experience. I really thought this would be the last flight of my life. It was almost like we were all sitting and waiting for the inevitable to happen.”
After some time, the Captain asked the crew to prepare for the landing. “We knew then that we were safe. As we were coming out of the flight, I spoke to many just out of relief that we made it alive. A few told me they would never again travel by flight and would only take the road hereafter. Many told me that they thought they would not survive,” he said.
As soon as the flight landed at Srinagar by 6.45 pm, ambulance, CISF, airport staff and police were all around. “It was then that I saw the broken nose of the aircraft and realised the impact of the hailstorm. Many trying to take pics with it were asked to leave immediately by the staff around,” he added.
Saimullah had taken a quick video of a bit of the action inside and posted it online. The video went viral on all social media platforms.