According to a local official, around 300 Indian nationals were taken care of at Vatry airport in France while an investigation was underway regarding their plane being grounded on suspicion of human trafficking.
The Marne emergency services provided makeshift beds, access to toilets and showers, as well as meals and hot drinks for the stranded passengers at the airport. Additionally, officials from the Indian general consulate were regularly visiting the passengers.
The flight, which was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, landed at Vatry for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened, prompting a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip due to suspected human trafficking.
Reportedly, the passengers on the grounded plane, bound for Nicaragua, included 13 unaccompanied minors. Two people were held for questioning in connection to the incident, as authorities had been tipped off by an anonymous informant.
A lawyer representing Legend Airlines stated that the plane’s crew had been released after questioning and were free to move. The lawyer also mentioned that the flight was chartered by a “trusted” client, who was a non-European company that the airline did not want to name.
The Indian embassy in Paris and the Indian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Kate Entringer; Writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Alexander Smith)
