Indian authorities managed to get consular access to those onboard the grounded flight in France. On Friday, a plane carrying over 300 Indian nationals to Nicargua was grounded in France over suspected "human trafficking." The remarks from the Indian Embassy in France came after reports suggested that the Nicaragua-bound plane from Dubai was detained at a French airport.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in France said: "French authorities informed us of a plane with 303 people, mostly of Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport."
"Embassy team has reached and obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring wellbeing of passengers," the Indian Embassy said.
According to news agency IANS, the aircraft carrying passengers likely to be victims of human trafficking was detained on Thursday after an anonymous tip-off. According to media reports, the plane had taken off from the United Arab Emirates, and it remained grounded on the tarmac at Vatry airport following its landing.
The Romanian charter company's flight had taken off from Dubai on Thursday and was making a technical stopover at the small Vatry airport when the police intervened, Marne prefect's office said in an e-mailed statement, as reported by news agency Reuters.
"The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions", it said, adding that a judicial investigation had been opened.
(With input from agencies)