Hail shreds the front of the plane: passengers shocked - "A near-death experience"

Srinagar (India) - An Indian passenger plane was caught in a violent hailstorm during a flight on Wednesday. Despite enormous damage to the front of the plane, the aircraft was able to land safely, Times of India reported .

An Indian passenger plane has been caught in a hailstorm. The effects of the storm can be seen on the nose of the plane.
An Indian passenger plane has been caught in a hailstorm. The effects of the storm can be seen on the nose of the plane.  © X/Vikspeaks1

The Airbus A321 operated by IndiGo was on its way from the Indian capital New Delhi to Srinagar in the Kashmir region. Around 45 minutes after take-off at 5 p.m. (local time), the aircraft was caught in a thunderstorm, according to the report.

In a statement, the company said that the flight and cabin crew then followed protocol and the plane landed safely in Srinagar. The plane touched down there at 6.46 p.m. - only then did it become clear how bad the storm really was.

Images on social media show the effects of the hail and a completely mangled aircraft nose. People on board, however, remained unharmed. Nevertheless, the passengers were left in shock.

The hole in the machine shows how violent the hailstorm must have been.
The hole in the machine shows how violent the hailstorm must have been.  © X/sanjayjourno

"I was on the plane on my way home from Srinagar... It was a near-death experience," wrote Owais Maqbool Hakeem on X, who had apparently witnessed the drama himself as a passenger.