Bhubaneswar: A week after a nine-seater aircraft made a force landing near Rourkela due to a technical snag, one of the injured passengers has succumbed while undergoing treatment, officials confirmed on Saturday.
The deceased, Susanta Kumar Biswal (47), had been battling critical injuries since the incident on January 10, 2026. The aircraft, operated by private airline IndiaOne, was en route from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela when it developed technical problems mid-air, forcing the pilot to execute an emergency landing in an open field at Jalda area of Rourkela in Sundargarh district, as per the Directorate of Aviation.
Biswal was rushed to a private hospital immediately after the incident and remained under intensive medical care. Doctors said his condition was complicated by pre-existing heart and renal ailments, which significantly reduced his chances of recovery. During the course of treatment, he also developed a severe lung infection, leading to further deterioration of his health.
Given the critical nature of his condition, arrangements were made to airlift him to Mumbai for advanced tertiary treatment. However, while being shifted to the air ambulance on Saturday, Biswal suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed. Despite sustained resuscitation efforts by the attending medical team, he was declared dead at 4.23 pm on January 17, 2026.
A close relative remained by his side throughout the treatment and evacuation process. The airline has assured that compensation will be extended to the bereaved family in accordance with existing norms, stating that all required medical and emergency procedures were duly followed.
The emergency landing had left six persons injured, including passengers Anita Sahoo (50), Sabita Agarwal (35), Sunil Agarwal (40) and Biswal, along with pilot Naveen Kadanga (46) and co-pilot Tarun Shrivastava (46). Earlier, Sabita Agarwal and Sunil Agarwal were airlifted to Mumbai on January 11 for specialised treatment at the request of their family members.
