Newly released video reveals passengers on an Iran flight erupting into screams of panic and prayer as violent shaking after takeoff began to dismantle the plane’s cabin, dropping ceiling panels and bin drawers on travelers.
“Ya, Ali … Ya, Ali,” a man is heard pleading repeatedly.
The terrified traveler is apparently asking for heavenly help from Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammed and the first Shia Imam. His name is commonly evoked by Shia devotees.
The incident unfolded Tuesday during a Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 flight over Iran that had just departed from Mashhad in northeastern Iran for Kermanshah, according to news outlets.
The aircraft may have suffered engine damage and a blown tire during takeoff, reports indicated.
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The pilot reportedly declared an emergency landing and returned to Mashhad Hashemi Nejad International Airport in Iran, landing safely but resulting in the temporary closure of one of the hub’s two runways.
No injuries were reported among the 127 passengers and crew members, the Indian Express reported.
Years of international sanctions have left Iran’s aviation industry struggling to upgrade to newer Western-built aircraft and genuine spare parts, Fox News reported.
To keep operating, the embattled country’s carriers have had to use aging airliners while managing difficult maintenance procedures to keep them airborne.
Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.