PARIS: Around 300 Indian nationals who were on board a plane grounded in France on suspicion of human trafficking were being cared for on Saturday in the hall of an airport in the eastern region of Marne while an investigation was ongoing, a local official said.

Emergency services had installed makeshift beds for the 303 stranded passengers, gave them access to toilets and showers and provided meals and hot drinks at Vatry airport, a spokeswoman for the Marne prefect’s office said.

The civilian protection unit of the Marne department said the Airbus jet was carrying 13 unaccompanied minors as well as accompanied minors with ages ranging from 21 months to 17 years.

The Indian embassy in Paris said on Saturday that it was working for “a rapid resolution of the situation”, posting on X that “consular officials are on site”.

The flight, which was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened, the prefect’s office said on Friday.

It said a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip had been launched, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking.

The passengers on the grounded plane, which was bound for Nicaragua, included 13 unaccompanied minors.

The Paris public prosecution office said on Friday that two people were held for questioning, adding that authorities had been tipped off by an anonymous informant.

A lawyer representing Legend Airlines said on Saturday the plane’s crew had been released after questioning.

“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,” Liliana Bakayoko told BFM TV.

The flight was chartered by a “trusted” client, Bakayoko said, adding that it was a non-European company which the airline did not want to name.

Legend Airlines did not understand why the plane had been grounded, she added.

The Indian embassy in Paris and the Indian foreign ministry did not immediately reply to request for comment on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2023