Pittsburgh Patrika January 2022

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 2, January 2022
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World!”
On November 6, Air Arabia Maroc’s flight 3O437 from Casablanca,
Morocco (departure 5:00 PM local time), was headed to Istanbul, Turkey,
a 4½ hour flight. Over one hour into the flight, the plane declared a medical
emergency and was diverted to land on the island of Palma belonging
to Spain because a passenger was asking for medical assistance.
On landing at Palma de Mallorca, the Spanish police said the patient
appeared to be in a diabetic coma and was rushed to the local hospital with
Palma de
Mallorca
Istanbul
Casablanca
his companion. The Moroccan air traveler, it appears, feigned the medical
emergency to divert the flight, ostensibly to enter Europe, because, at the
hospital, doctors found the man to be in normal health. Besides, the police
said, the person accompanying the patient fled as soon as they arrived at
the hospital. Meanwhile, as the plane was parked on the tarmac, after some
time, twenty-one passengers jumped out of the plane trying to flee the
airport. Twelve of them, who spoke French, were arrested, and the others
escaped. The supposedly “sick” man was later arrested for “helping with
illegal immigration and violating Spanish immigration laws.” All except
one among the 20-plus people in this episode were Moroccans.
Police suspect this was a novel and “unprecedented” way for people
wanting to enter Europe illegally. They are investigating whether “the
whole episode was an orchestrated event or an isolated freak incident.”
The investigation is continuing.
A Spanish law enforcement official said, “Those who fled will be
prosecuted for non-compliance with aviation safety rules and illegal entry
into Spanish territory, and will be deported to their country of origin.”
None of them applied for political asylum. — By K S Venkataraman
Details here: www.tinyurl.com/Ppl-Flee-MedEmrgncy. •
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