New Delhi -A technician working for state-owned Air India died in a “mishap” at an airport in Mumbai on Wednesday evening, according the airline’s official Twitter account.
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The incident occurred during the pushback of a flight, said the tweet, which was attributed to Air India chief Ashwani Lohani. It did not elaborate on the cause of the technician’s death, and said it was being investigated.
Multiple news outlets in India reported that the Air India employee had been “sucked in” by one of the aircraft’s engines.
“At the moment, we are absolutely clueless on how this person was near the aircraft,” a source at the airline told the Hindustan Times newspaper. “Only an inquiry can establish whose negligence it was and whether the engine should have been switched on at that time,” the person said.
In recent years, India’s national carrier has been struggling to keep up in India’s fast-growing aviation market.