40 flamingos killed after Emirates flight hits flock near Mumbai airport; disturbing videos surface (WATCH)

On Monday evening, an Emirates aircraft, mere seconds away from touching down at Mumbai airport, collided with a flock of flamingos, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 birds.

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published May 21, 2024, 10:29 AM IST | Last Updated May 21, 2024, 10:29 AM IST

On Monday evening, an Emirates aircraft, mere seconds away from touching down at Mumbai airport, collided with a flock of flamingos, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 birds. Although flamingo fatalities have been on the rise in recent weeks, this marks the first instance of the birds being involved in an aircraft accident. The incident took place as Emirates flight EK 508 was completing its final approach to the city's main runway at approximately 8:30 pm.

According to a TOI report quoting a source from the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC), "The pilots informed us that during the post landing inspection of the aircraft, multiple bird strikes were observed on the aircraft fuselage. The pilots had reported about the bird strike after landing and parking at the bay."

"Assuming that the aircraft would have hit the birds during the final phase of landing, before touch down, we sent a team to inspect the runway for bird carcass, but we didn't find any," the source told TOI.

Before air traffic control could initiate a runway inspection, residents of Laxmi Nagar in Ghatkopar found themselves confronted with the aftermath of the accident.

According to BN Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, an NGO dedicated to environmental causes, the area was strewn with bird carcasses. Broken wings, beaks, and claws lay scattered across a wide area.

Promptly informed, the forest department swiftly collected most of the carcasses overnight, Kumar mentioned, estimating that around 40 birds had perished in the collision. The birds had been en route to the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), the sole urban Ramsar site in the nation, when their flight paths intersected with the aircraft.

Despite efforts to clear the area, remnants of the birds were discovered by early morning joggers in certain parts of the neighborhood, causing considerable distress among residents, as reported by a Ghatkopar local.

"It is absolutely shocking as an avian tragedy of this scale has never happened in Mumbai. Flamingos have been seen changing their flight paths due to massive construction projects such as Atal Setu. The birds are also disoriented due to light pollution, a major concern in such as Mumbai. The accident calls for a major investigation," he told TOI.

An official statement from Emirates regarding the incident is eagerly anticipated.

Mumbai has witnessed a concerning surge in flamingo deaths over the past few months.

Towards the end of April, twelve injured flamingos were discovered in the wetlands near Seawoods in Navi Mumbai. Sadly, despite treatment, over five of these birds succumbed to their injuries. Preceding this incident, a flamingo fell victim to a speeding vehicle on Palm Beach road. Additionally, in February, three flamingos collided with a billboard and tragically perished. Promptly following the accident, CIDCO took action to remove the billboard.

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