2023-12-24 18:08:26
A charter flight headed to Nicaragua carrying 303 Indian passengers was grounded in France over suspicions of human trafficking. The passengers would be cleared for departure on Monday, December 25, “at the latest,” prosecutors in Paris told news agency AFP, without naming any destination.
However, the judges have the authority to extend the detention, the news agency said in a report.
The flight, carried out by a Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had departed from Dubai on Thursday and was headed to Nicaragua. It was grounded by authorities at the Vatry airport in France, 150 kilometres (95 miles) east of Paris.
The flight had landed in Vatry for refuelling. This is when police intervened, Marne prefect’s office said in an e-mailed statement.
The passengers were questioned on Sunday by four judges to verify the “conditions and purposes” of their travel, AFP further reported.
According to the prosecutors, the 303 passengers include 11 unaccompanied minors. Two passengers were detained to ascertain whether they “may have been different than the others in this transport, and under what conditions and with what objectives”, the prosecutors were quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, ten passengers have requested asylum.
Taking note of the development, the Indian Embassy in France said they were informed about the plane with “303 people, mostly of Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport”.
The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions, the Marne prefect’s office earlier said.
france, france airport, indians in france, indian passengers on plane, France charter flight, human trafficking
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