A Citilink aircraft flying from Jakarta to Padang’s Minangkabau International Airport slipped off the runway while landing during heavy rain yesterday, leading to injuries and the temporary closure of the airport.
The Citilink aircraft (flight code QG970) was carrying 178 passengers when it landed on Sunday evening. One of the passengers, a 60-year-old named Aidah, said that, before landing, there was a warning from the cabin crew to use seat belts because of bad weather.
“During the landing, there were three big bumps. Then the plane slid onto the grass and stopped,” he told Tempo at Minangkabau Airport yesterday.
Passengers panicked but Aidah said the emergency door opened up quickly so that they could evacuate immediately.
Outside, passengers were greeted by torrential rain and flooding and got drenched as they were evacuated to the terminal. No fatalities were reported, but at least two passengers were taken to the hospital suffering from shock or possible heart attack.
Transportation Ministry spokesman Julius Barata told Reuters that the plane bounced off the runway upon landing. Citilink has not yet given an official explanation for the incident, but said it was focusing its investigation on the airplane’s tires.
Minangkabau International Airport was still closed as of early this morning due to the Citilink aircraft blocking the runway, but it is expected to opened at some point today.
