A SpiceJet plane flying in from Jaipur overshot the main runway while landing at the Mumbai airport, although none of the passengers and crew members on board were hurt in the incident.
The incident, which occurred around 11.45 pm, was a result of massive rainfall that the city has been witnessing lately. A team of engineers is reportedly investigating the damage suffered by the SpiceJet flight SG-6237, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Following the incident, the main runway has been closed and a second one is being used for flight operations. A number of international flights were also diverted to other airports such as Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
One of the passengers on board, identified as Praveen Berad, tweeted: "Jaipur to Mumbai spice jet flight SG6237 slips on the runway while landing." Yellow oxygen masks could be seen dangling above the seats of the passengers.
"A Korean Air flight KE655 coming from Seoul to Mumbai has been diverted to Ahmedabad due to the incident and bad weather conditions," news agency PTI quoted unnamed sources as saying. A Lufthansa flight LH756, coming from Frankfurt, and an Air India flight AI331, coming from Bangkok, had to be diverted to other airports, according to sources.
"SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 plane operated flight SG 6237 from Jaipur to Mumbai overshot runway while landing at Mumbai Airport. There was heavy rain in Mumbai. Passengers were deplaned normally, no injuries reported. There was no injury to either the passengers or the crew," a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement.
At least 16 people were killed in the state due to rain-related incidents as Mumbai received 540 millimetres of rain since Sunday night. The Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday today as the city will witness more downpours in the next 24 to 48 hours.
