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Washington: Air India is sending a ferry flight to Russia, after emergency landing, it will take the stranded passengers to America. The flight landed safely with 216 passengers and 16 crew after engine failure. Earlier, the US said it was closely monitoring the situation after an Air India flight bound for San Francisco made an emergency landing in Russia.
The Tata Group-owned private airline said in a statement on Tuesday evening that flight AI173 from Delhi was diverted to Russia’s Magadan due to engine failure.
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said, “We have information about a US-bound flight that made an emergency landing in Russia. We are closely monitoring the situation. However, I am unable to confirm this.” I am not able to estimate how many US citizens were on board at this time.” told reporters at his daily press conference.
Responding to a question, Vedant Patel said, “The flight was bound for the United States of America. So, it is certainly a possibility that there are American citizens on board. Air India is sending another flight to ferry the passengers to their destination.” However, I would not like to say much about this, because the airline company can give accurate information about this.
An Air India spokesperson said in a statement, “Air India will operate an alternate flight from Magadan to San Francisco on June 7, carrying all passengers and crew of AI-173 who have been accommodated at local hotels in Magadan. ” The spokesperson said the authorities are cooperating with the airline in its efforts to get the passengers to their destinations as soon as possible. The company said that the aircraft (Boeing 777) is being checked and all assistance has been provided to the passengers at the airport.
