Water tanker hits Qatar Airways aircraft, damages it; inquiry initiated

A water tanker hit a Qatar Airways aircraft, which was preparing to take off for Doha from Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Thursday night, and damaged the belly of the aircraft. The 103 passengers who were aboard the flight were stranded the at the airport. However, no passenger was hurt in the incident.

Around 2.30 am when passengers were boarding the plane, a water tanker hit the belly of the Doha-bound flight, near the landing gear, an official of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, as reported by news agency PTI.

According to an initial inspection, the AAI official said, the water tanker had technical issues and the brake wasn't functioning properly, resulting in the incident.

The plane was immediately grounded for inspection and the passengers were safely de-boarded, he said.

No one was hurt in the accident, the official noted.

"All 103 passengers of the flight have been provided accommodation at a nearby hotel. They will be taking the 3 am flight to Doha tomorrow (Friday)," he said.

Initial inspection suggests that the water tanker had technical issues, the brake wasn't functioning properly, the AAI official added.

Meanwhile, a source in the DGCA said an inquiry has been initiated into the incident. "We will take corrective measures based on the inquiry report," he said.