Fire tender gets stuck in ground near Patna airport runway,

Air traffic remained disrupted for more than two hours at the airport here on Wednesday after a crash fire tender (CFT) got stuck in a stretch of muddy ground close to the runway.

The CFT, a specialized fire engine designed for use in aircraft rescue and firefighting at airports, was pressed into service to douse a "minor grassfire" near the runway, a statement from the airport said.

Operations at the Jay Prakash Narayan Airport remained suspended from 1.10 pm to 3.30 pm, and three flights were delayed and nine others were diverted.

The "minor grassfire was observed at a distance of 22 metres approx. from the runway edge" at around noon and the CFT went there to extinguish it, the statement said.

The fire was caused following the use of firecrackers by personnel deployed for scaring away birds.

However, the statement said, after extinguishing the fire, the CFT got stuck in the ground which had become soft due to rain at night.

The CFT was removed with the help of cranes and other earth-moving equipment and airport operations were resumed at 3.40 pm after inspection, it said.