New Delhi, Delhi, India

A Jet Airways flight on Thursday was turned back to Mumbai mid-air after the crew forgot to select switch to maintain cabin pressure leading to nose and ear bleeds in several passengers. 

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The passengers of the Mumbai-Jaipur 9W 697 flight also complained of a headache while 30 out of the total 166 suffered ear and nose bleeds. Oxygen masks were deployed. 

The passengers are now being treated at the Mumbai airport. 

Five Jet Airways passengers, who suffered nose and ear bleeding Thursday after the crew failed to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure, were suffering from "mild conductive deafness", according to a hospital.

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The five were taken to Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital, while the rest were attended to by doctors at the Mumbai airport. 

As per their preliminary examination by ENT doctors, the five passengers suffered "barotrauma" of ear, which is caused due to a change in air pressure, said Rajendra Patankar, chief operating officer of Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital.

"The five patients, all males, have mild conductive deafness, a temporary condition which is likely to take a week or 10 days to heal. They are advised not to fly till then," Patankar told reporters here.

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"They are under observation and are stable. It seems there is no need for their admission in hospital. They are undergoing all required tests," he said.

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According to a passenger, the oxygen masks came out but no one gave the flyers any warning or instructions. "They announced after 15 minutes that we're landing but didn't even tell where. It was very scary," he told ANI after landing in Jaipur.  

The crew has been taken off duty and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has started an investigation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed, ANI reported. 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation over the incident.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the MoCA said that the crew members who were on duty for the particular flight are being de-rostered on account of the incident.

The flight will now take off from Mumbai for Jaipur at 10:15 am. 

(With inputs from agencies)