More than 200 passengers on London to Mumbai flight stranded at Turkey military base after plane forced to make emergency landing

More than 200 passengers were near stranded and calling for assistance successful a distant Turkish airdrome yesterday aft a pitchy made an exigency landing owed to a panicked passenger.

The formation had near Heathrow for Mumbai astatine 11.40am but ne'er arrived arsenic a pistillate started 'shouting and screaming astatine 30,000ft'.

A root said: 'The concern had go truthful scary that the determination was taken to onshore truthful she could person aesculapian help.'

The Airbus A350 truthful diverted to Turkey and landed successful Diyarbakir astatine astir 4pm - chiefly a subject hub but the tract of immoderate civilian flights.

Passengers sent retired calls for assistance arsenic they reported being fixed lone atom and feeling abandoned for 16 hours.

Among the trapped were babies, diabetic patients and pensioners, with a video showing a four-months large pistillate saying: 'Everyone is suffering. Please help.'

Other frustrated mothers said everyone was ordered to permission their carry-on bags connected the plane.

An aged antheral said: 'We're truthful tired. Can anyone bash something?'

The Diyarbakir hub is not built for wide-bodied rider planes and the pitchy had a method occupation connected tract meaning it was incapable to permission for India.

Diplomats are understood to person arranged for 24-hour visas truthful passengers would beryllium capable to enactment successful hotels nearby.

They whitethorn beryllium enactment connected a formation contiguous to Saudi Arabia for a connecting trip.

Passengers reported having received minimal updates from Virgin Atlantic (VS) regarding alternate question arrangements.

Under planetary aviation regulations, airlines indispensable supply food, refreshments, and accommodation erstwhile flights are importantly delayed.

A akin lawsuit connected December 1 past twelvemonth saw a Gulf Air formation from Mumbai to Manchester via Bahrain marque an exigency landing astatine Kuwait Airport pursuing an motor fire.

As a result, passengers were stranded for 13 hours.

In narration to yesterday's mishap, a spokesperson for Virgin said: 'We sincerely apologise.'