Panic as 8-yr-old presses emergency button inside Chennai flight

CHENNAI: Tension prevailed as an 8-year-old girl pressed an emergency button inside the flight and it panicked the passengers and the crew in mid-air on Monday.

The IndiGo airlines flight from Guwahati was heading towards Chennai with 147 passengers. Hemnath (61) of Guwahati was travelling with his family and granddaughter.

When the flight was in mid-air, the girl pressed the emergency button and it triggered the siren inside the flight. Soon, the passengers and crew panicked for a while thinking the aircraft was in trouble. Later, the crew found that Hemnath's granddaughter Prasatha was wearing the life jacket.

Then, they found that the girl had pressed the emergency button which was near her seat and she took the life jacket and wore it. Later, the Siren was stopped and Hemnath apologised to the crew for the mistake caused by his granddaughter.

However, since the alarm was also raised in the Chennai airport, the IndiGo airlines staff and the security officers of the Chennai airport held inquiries with Hemnath and his family after the flight landed in Chennai and they were sent to the airport police station. The police after an inquiry got a written statement from Hemnath and let them go after a warning.