Mumbai:
Late Monday night, an Emirates aircraft collided with a flock of flamingos over the Laxmi Nagar area of Pantnagar, Ghatkopar, resulting in the death of 36 birds, as reported by forest officials. SY Rama Rao, Additional Chief Conservator of Forests for the Mangrove Protection Cell, confirmed the discovery of 36 flamingo carcasses and noted that a search is underway to determine if more birds were affected. He stated that the collision involved an aircraft, and efforts to find more impacted flamingos are ongoing.
Deputy Conservator Deepak Khade stated, “The airport authorities acknowledged the bird strike. This incident happened near Laxmi Nagar (the northern end of Ghatkopar East). Prashant Bahadure, a range forest officer with the Mangrove Protection Cell, explained, “I went to the airport, but entry was denied. The authorities informed us that an Emirates flight was involved. Local residents reported the incident, which likely happened between 8:40 and 8:50 p.m. Our team arrived at the scene by 9:15 p.m.
According to an airport source, Emirates flight EK 508 reported a bird strike when it arrived at Mumbai International Airport at 9:18 p.m. The flight was on final approach and landed safely. The airplane has been grounded, and engineers have been brought in to assess it.
D Stalin, an environmentalist with the NGO Vanashakti, commented, “The cause of the birds flying into the plane is under investigation. My theory is that new power lines through the sanctuary area are causing disorientation among the birds, which should never have been permitted. The wildlife board conceded to the power company, disrupting the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary.”
Stalin also proposed an indirect link to CIDCO, which has been underlining the dangers of bird strikes on the Navi Mumbai airport. He alleged that efforts had been made to disrupt flamingo habitats in the NRI complex region and the TS Chanakya lakes, potentially causing the birds to flee at night and resulting in the crash.
