Full-scale mock drill simulates aircraft fire at Jamnagar airport

A full-scale emergency mock drill was conducted at the Jamnagar airport on Tuesday to test the coordination and efficiency of responders by simulating a plane engine fire scenario with 30 passengers on board, officials said.

The mock drill involving the Indian Air Force, fire brigade, airport staff, civil defence, and police was conducted weeks after the devastating Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy that killed 241 persons on board and several others on the ground. One passenger miraculously survived.

The main objective of this mock drill was to test the preparedness of various agencies to conduct swift rescue operations, identify challenges, and control the situation through coordination in the least possible time, the district administration stated.

"This is the first time a full-scale mock emergency exercise was conducted at the Jamnagar airport," said airport director DK Singh.

He said a scenario of a plane carrying 9,000-litre fuel catching fire was simulated.

"There were 30 passengers onboard an aircraft with 9,000 litres of fuel. It was announced that the left engine of the aircraft caught fire," Singh told reporters.

As part of the drill, the airport authority reported the incident to the District Control Room and the Jamnagar Air Force Station at 3:55 pm, following which rescue operations were conducted within just ten minutes, he said.

An emergency was declared soon after 'fire' was detected in the left engine at around 3:55 pm.

"Fire-fighting vehicles of the Indian Air Force and an ambulance reached the spot at 3:58 pm. Jamnagar fire brigade personnel arrived at 4:05 pm, and five minutes later their ambulance followed," Singh said.

The district administration stated that 15 passengers were immediately shifted to the hospital in ambulances of the 108 service, while 15 others were treated for 'minor injuries' on the spot by a Health Department team.

The 'blaze' in the plane engine was controlled by the Fire Brigade and the entire area was cordoned off by police personnel.

Teams of IAF, fire brigade, civil defence, health department, airport staff, and police rushed to the spot and launched the rescue operation on a war footing with the help of disaster relief teams, it added.