Rourkela: One passenger, who was seriously injured in the crash landing of a small aircraft near Rourkela city, died at JP Hospital Saturday while being shifted to the airport for airlifting to Mumbai, an officer said. The deceased passenger was identified as Susanta Biswal (47), a native of Manikapatana village in Aul block of Kendrapara district and had been living with his family at Naditola under Brahmanitarang police limits.
He is survived by his wife and two sons. According to family members, Biswal had earlier been ill and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. As he was unfit to travel by bus, he was returning to Rourkela by aircraft along with his sister, Anita Sahu, on the day of the crash. Biswal was undergoing treatment at the JP Hospital after the crash, the state’s Directorate of Civil Aviation said in a statement this evening.
However, the health condition of Biswal’s sister Anita Sahoo, who was also injured in the crash, has remained stable, officials said. At least six people, including two pilots, were injured when a nine-seater aircraft of IndiaOne made an emergency crash landing near Rourkela January 10 afternoon. Out of the six injured, two were airlifted to a hospital in Mumbai on their personal wish, while the other four, including two pilots and Biswal, have been under treatment at JP Hospital in Rourkela city. Despite timely medical intervention and continuous monitoring, his condition remained critical due to pre-existing heart failure and renal failure.
Subsequently, he developed a severe lung infection, which led to further deterioration of his health, it said. Considering the seriousness of his condition, the government planned to shift the patient to Mumbai for tertiary-level treatment through air evacuation to ensure better medical outcomes. “However, while being transferred to the air ambulance, the patient suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed.
Despite the best efforts of the attending medical team, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 4:23pm Saturday,” the directorate said. A relative of the patient accompanied him throughout the entire treatment and evacuation process. “In this moment of deep grief, we stand in solidarity with the bereaved family,” the statement said. The airline concerned has assured compensation to the next of kin as per applicable norms. All prescribed medical protocols and emergency procedures were duly followed, it said. Meanwhile, a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) conducted an investigation into the crash and will submit the report to their authority, the officials said.
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