Water tanker hits Qatar Airways plane at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: A Kolkata-Doha flight of the Qatar Airways hit a water tanker at Kolkata Airport in the early hours of Thursday when it was preparing to take off. 

There were 100 people on board the Qatar Airways QR 541 flight when the incident took place at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. They were all safely evacuated and none suffered any injury but were left stranded. The aircraft was also damaged in the accident. 

Around 2.30am, when passengers were boarding the plane, a water tanker hit the belly of the Doha-bound flight, near the landing gear, an official of Airports Authority of India (AAI)



said.

The plane was immediately grounded for inspection and the passengers were safely de-boarded, he said.No one was hurt in the accident, the official noted.

"All 103 passengers of the flight have been provided accommodation at a nearby hotel. They will be taking the 3am flight to Doha tomorrow (Friday)," he said.

Initial inspection suggests that the water tanker had technical issues, the brake wasn't functioning properly, the AAI official added.Meanwhile, a source in the DGCA said an inquiry has been initiated into the incident.

"We will take corrective measures based on the inquiry report," he said.