39 flamingos die after collision with Emirates flight in Mumbai

An Emirates flight flew into a flock of flamingos just before landing on Monday, leading to the death of at least 39 birds and causing damage to the plane. The remains of the flamingos rained down on suburban Ghatkopar, where the collapse of a billboard had killed 16 people the previous week.

The Dubai-Mumbai plane carrying over 300 passengers landed safely at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai around 9.15 pm on Monday. However, the return flight was cancelled.

A replacement plane is being arranged for the Boeing 777, which is scheduled to take off at 9 pm on Tuesday, the airline said.  

 "Emirates can confirm that EK508 from Dubai to Mumbai on 20 May was involved in a bird strike incident upon landing. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury, however, sadly, a number of flamingos were lost and Emirates is cooperating with the authorities on the matter," the airline said.

"The aircraft was also damaged in the incident... Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised," the official statement added.

Pawan Sharma, who works with the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare, said the wildlife group received multiple calls on Monday evening as the remains began falling from the sky.

According to government data, the Mumbai airport has recorded over 600 cases of aircraft bird strikes between January 2018 and October 2023. However, as per Sharma, this was the first time such a large number of flamingos have been hit. He reportedly feared many more could have died as some of the bird carcasses were "not in a shape to be recovered".