Dhaka: An Indian woman died after an air ambulance carrying her from Agartala to Kolkata made an emergency landing at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday, October 18, following a reported mechanical fault that caused the aircraft’s door to partially open mid-air.

The Beechcraft King Air C90A, registered as VT-HYA, landed safely in the Bangladeshi capital with seven people on board, according to reports by news agency PTI, citing Bangladeshi media outlets and the state-owned BSS news agency.

The patient, identified as 56-year-old Anjana Bhowmik, was taken to Kurmitola Multicare Specialised Hospital after the aircraft landed. Doctors later declared her dead, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. Authorities have not established whether it was connected to the aircraft’s reported mechanical problem or resulted from other medical complications.

The incident has drawn attention to the emergency landing, the technical fault reported during the flight and the assistance provided by Bangladeshi authorities to the Indian air ambulance despite international landing clearance issues.

Air ambulance develops fault at 12,000 feet

The aircraft was travelling from Agartala in Tripura to Kolkata in West Bengal when it reportedly developed a mechanical problem while climbing through an altitude of 12,000 feet.

According to BSS, the fault caused the aircraft’s door to partially open during the flight, prompting the crew to divert to Dhaka.

The plane landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at approximately 1.40 pm local time on Sunday. All seven occupants were on board when it arrived, and the aircraft landed safely.

The people on board included two pilots, Bhowmik, a doctor, a paramedic and two companions accompanying the patient.

Md Riaz Uddin, spokesperson for the executive director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, told The Daily Star that the aircraft had developed a mechanical problem during the flight, causing its door to open.

The available reports do not provide further technical details about the fault or explain how the door mechanism malfunctioned. It also remains unclear whether the crew encountered any additional difficulties before landing.

Although the aircraft reached the airport safely, the emergency diversion interrupted the patient’s journey to Kolkata, where she had been due to travel by air ambulance.

Patient declared dead at Dhaka hospital

Following the emergency landing, Bhowmik was taken to Kurmitola Multicare Specialised Hospital in Dhaka for medical attention. Doctors declared her dead later that afternoon.

Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamrul Hasan Talukder told The Daily Star that she died at the hospital at 4.40 pm local time on Sunday.

The exact cause of death has not been established in the reports available so far. While the incident involved a mechanical fault and a door opening during flight, there is no confirmed information establishing a direct link between the aircraft problem and Bhowmik’s death.

It is also unclear what medical condition had necessitated her transfer by air ambulance or whether her health deteriorated during the flight or after the aircraft landed.

The distinction is important because the emergency landing and the patient’s death occurred during the same journey, but the reported sequence of events alone does not establish the cause of death.

Further medical findings or an official statement from the relevant authorities would be needed to clarify the circumstances.

The other six occupants of the aircraft were reportedly safe following the landing. The reports did not indicate that any other person on board had suffered injuries.

Bangladesh assists aircraft despite clearance issues

Bangladeshi authorities reportedly facilitated the emergency landing on humanitarian grounds even though the aircraft did not have the required clearance for an international landing.

The state-owned BSS news agency reported that officials assisted the air ambulance after it diverted to Dhaka.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka coordinated with Bangladeshi authorities to complete the necessary diplomatic formalities, according to the agency.

The episode involved coordination between airport officials, local authorities and Indian diplomatic representatives to address the aircraft’s immediate needs and the regulatory requirements arising from its arrival.

Emergency diversions can require rapid decisions when a flight develops a technical problem, particularly when the nearest suitable airport is in another country. In this case, the reported mechanical fault led the aircraft to land in Bangladesh while it was operating on a domestic route between two Indian cities.

The reports did not specify the precise nature of the clearance that was missing or provide a complete account of the subsequent procedures. However, they said the authorities were working to resolve the outstanding formalities.

Aircraft remains at Dhaka airport

The air ambulance was operated by India’s SKB Infracon Pvt Ltd. The aircraft remained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while authorities worked to resolve the clearance issues, The Daily Star reported.

The available information did not confirm when the aircraft would be permitted to leave Dhaka or whether additional technical inspections would be required before it could resume operations.

The aircraft’s reported mechanical problem and the partially opened door may also require further examination to establish what happened during the flight. No detailed findings from a technical investigation were included in the reports.

The safe landing meant that the crew was able to bring the aircraft to the ground despite the reported fault. However, the emergency diversion was followed by the death of the patient who had been receiving medical transport.

The incident has raised questions about the circumstances of the in-flight malfunction and the medical events surrounding Bhowmik’s death. Those questions remain unanswered in the information released so far.

Cause of death remains unclear

The immediate sequence of events is partly known: the air ambulance developed a reported mechanical fault while climbing through 12,000 feet, its door partially opened, and the crew diverted to Dhaka. The aircraft landed safely at around 1.40 pm local time, after which Bhowmik was taken to hospital and declared dead at 4.40 pm.

However, the available reports do not establish whether the technical fault contributed to her death. They also do not provide enough information to determine whether her underlying medical condition played a role.

The reported safety of the other occupants and the successful landing are important details, but they do not resolve the unanswered questions about the patient’s condition and the cause of death.

Further information from medical authorities, aviation officials or the operator may be necessary to clarify the incident.

For now, the death of the 56-year-old Indian woman remains the central concern in an incident that involved an emergency international landing, a reported in-flight mechanical problem and coordination between Indian and Bangladeshi authorities.