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The passenger who was injured due to turbulence died during the SpiceJet flight

Passenger Akbar Ansari, who was injured when a SpiceJet flight was exposed to a severe atmospheric disturbance in early May, died last month. Ansari’s family members said 48-year-old Ansari was on ventilator for more than a month and died on 26 September. On May 1, 14 passengers and three crew members were injured after SpiceJet’s Mumbai-Durgapur flight came in contact with a severe atmospheric disturbance while landing. The relatives allege that Ansari did not get proper treatment.

SpiceJet said on Saturday that “a passenger who was injured due to exposure to a severe atmospheric disturbance of a SpiceJet flight on May 1, 2022, died last month.” The statement said the company has “extended” all possible assistance, including looking after the passenger’s medical and hospital expenses, and that “the compensation is being paid as per norms.”

Akbar’s brother Akhtar Ansari recalled the incident on May 1, saying, “I was sitting in the middle and Akbar (Ansari) in the next seat. Suddenly, a storm-like situation hit our plane and we were shocked. There was chaos in the cabin”. He claimed that the cabin crew had not given a proper warning about the turbine. “Unfortunately, my brother’s seat belt broke in the first jolt. We were trying to catch him but the tremors were so severe that we could not catch him. He was badly injured.”