Emirates plane kills 36 flamingos in a single bird strike in India

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Receive the travel email from Simon Calder

At least 36 protected flamingos have died in a single bird strike in the West Indies involving an Emirates Boeing 777.

Dubai-Mumbai flight EK-508 was flying over the outskirts of India’s financial capital with over 300 passengers on board when it collided with the flock shortly before landing.

The Emirates crew reported the bird strike incident upon arrival in Mumbai at 9:18 p.m. local time (3:48 p.m. GMT) on Monday.

The accident occurred in the suburb of Ghatkopar as the plane was preparing to land, about six kilometers from the international airport. There were about 310 passengers on board.

The plane was reportedly partially damaged in the incident but made a routine landing at Mumbai airport. The plane remained on the ground there on Tuesday.

After the incident, locals reported that the site was littered with bird carcasses with broken parts of wings, claws and beaks scattered across a large suburban area.

Officials from the Maharashtra forest department have recovered the scattered remains of many birds and launched a search to find out if more flamingos were killed. The death toll of 36 may rise.

“The carcasses have been sent for autopsy to find out the exact cause of death,” Pawan Sharma, founder of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), told news agency Press Trust of India.

A local activist suggested that the birds may have been flying on an unusual flight path due to the disturbance at the nearby Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. Environmentalist D. Stalin of NGO Vanshakti said this Hindustan Times Newspaper that “the new power lines through the protected area are causing the birds to become disoriented.”

“While the wildlife department was issuing permits for power lines (earlier this was not allowed in protected areas), it humbly capitulated to the power company. Instead, Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary was bulldozed and towers were built,” he was quoted as saying.

Thousands of flamingos come to Mumbai in winter, but the birds and their habitat are threatened by rampant construction and encroachment on nature in one of the world’s most populous cities.

India has the largest population of lesser flamingos outside the African continent. Officials count the flamingos every day for three days from October to May to maintain estimates of the country’s population.

Flamingos are protected in India under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In 2018, authorities in Mumbai designated nearly 1,700 hectares of the bank and stream as a flamingo sanctuary. However, there were concerns about encroachment on the designated area and risks associated with construction work nearby.

In a statement The IndependentAn Emirates spokesman said: “Emirates can confirm that EK508 en route from Dubai to Mumbai was involved in a bird strike during landing on 20 May.”

“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked uninjured. However, unfortunately some flamingos have been lost and Emirates is cooperating with the authorities on this matter.”

“The aircraft was also damaged in the incident and the return flight EK509, which was scheduled to depart for Dubai on May 20, was cancelled. All passengers and crew have been accommodated overnight and a replacement flight is currently being arranged for all passengers, scheduled to depart Mumbai on May 21 at 9pm local time.”

“Emirates apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised.”