A plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been diverted to Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials told local media there had been a “clash” or “scuffle” between the aircraft’s two pilots.
The flydubai plane took off from Dubai International Airport early on Wednesday. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the plane sent an emergency signal about two hours into the flight. A few minutes later it switched to a code used to report a hijacking, before returning to the general emergency signal.
Reports in Israeli media, citing defence officials, said the emergency signal is believed to have been sent after an “altercation” or “clash” between the pilot and co-pilot.
Flight FZ1073, carrying about 150 people, was due to land at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv but instead landed at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia. Most of the passengers were Israeli.
An Israeli passenger told journalists that cabin crew asked passengers for help, and some passengers helped restrain one of the pilots and tie him up.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation was under control and efforts were under way to bring the Israeli passengers home from Saudi Arabia.
More details of what happened on the flight are emerging in Israeli media. A passenger who asked not to be named told the Jerusalem Post that one pilot stabbed the other with a knife, but some passengers near the cockpit managed to remove the attacker from it.
The witness said two more pilots were seated towards the back of the plane. “I shouted at them to go quickly and take control of the plane,” he said. The same passenger said a dentist on board gave the injured pilot life-saving treatment.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report