French airport provides makeshift base for 300 Indians on grounded flight

Around 300 Indian nationals, who were on board an aircraft grounded in France due to suspicions of human trafficking, are being attended to in the hall of an airport in the eastern region of Marne while an investigation is underway, according to a local official. Emergency services in Marne have set up temporary sleeping arrangements for the 303 stranded passengers, offering access to toilets and showers, as well as providing meals and hot beverages at Vatry airport. Officials from the Indian general consulate are regularly visiting and attending to their needs, as stated in a release by the Marne prefect’s office.

It said a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip had been launched, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking. The flight, carried out by a Romanian charter company, had departed from Dubai on Thursday and landed at the small Vatry airport for a technical stopover when police intervened, the Marne prefect’s office said in an e-mailed statement. “The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions”, it said, adding that a judicial investigation had been opened. With inputs from agencies.