11 minors among 303 Indian passengers on flight grounded by France: Report

After 303 Indian passengers on a Nicaragua-bound plane were grounded by French authorities on Thursday (Dec 21), sources close to the Paris prosecutor's office told news agency Reuters that there are eleven unaccompanied minors among them. The sources also disclosed that these unaccompanied minors are provided "ad-hoc tutors" by French authorities.

Operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, the flight was grounded at Vatry airport during a technical stopover en route from Dubai,Marne prefect's office reportedly said in a statement.

The Indian Embassy has already received consular access to its citizens and officials from the Indian general consulate are regularly visiting the passengers to ensure their well-being during this unexpected situation, theprefect's office added.

In the meantime, the Paris prosecutor's office is actively investigating a suspected case of human trafficking. Moreover, emergency services at northeast France's Marne have set up makeshift beds for the passengers. All the Indians are taken care of with access to toilets, showers, meals, and hot drinks.

Meanwhile, two of the passengers have been held for questioning and they continue to remain in police custody as part of the ongoing investigation. The French authorities sprung into action after they received a tip-offby an anonymous informant, leading to the grounding of the plane.

Plane crew released

Liliana Bakayoko, a lawyer representing Legend Airlines, reportedly clarified that the crew has been released after questioning. She stated, "The members of the crew have been questioned, the questioning has ended, and they are all free to move. None has been put in custody."

Legend Airlines revealed that the flight was chartered by a "trusted" client, a non-European company that the airline chose not to name.

The Romanian-based Legend Airlines maintains its innocence, asserting that it committed no offence and expressing readiness to cooperate with French authorities while reserving the right to take legal action if charges are filed.

(With inputs from agencies)