Narrow escape for airline passengers in Orissa

Passengers had a narrow escape when a Mumbai-bound Indian aircraft suffered a bird hit while taking off.

More than 100 passengers had a narrow escape when a Mumbai-bound Indian aircraft suffered a bird hit while taking off from the Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar on Saturday afternoon.

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The Airbus-320, with 114 passengers on board, was speeding down the runway when the bird was sucked into one of its engines, officials said.

The pilots applied the brakes suddenly bringing the aircraft to a halt and deflating four tyres, they said.