About 300 Indian citizens bound for Central America were detained at a French airport for a third day on Saturday following a dramatic police operation sparked by a tip that those on board could be victims of human trafficking. human beings, authorities said.
Those on board included children and families. The local civil protection agency told regional channel France-3 that the youngest passenger is a 21-month-old baby and that among the children are 13 unaccompanied minors.
Local authorities have hung white tarpaulins over the high bay windows of the small Vatry airport in Champagne to ensure privacy for passengers inside. An unmarked plane near the terminal appears to be the plane grounded since Thursday. Other flights were canceled or diverted as the airport was transformed into the hub of a massive trafficking investigation.
All 15 crew members of the Legend Airlines charter flight — en route from Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua — have been questioned and released, according to a lawyer for the Romania-based airline. She said they were deeply shaken by what happened.
Since Thursday, a surreal holiday weekend scene has been unfolding at Vatry airport. The plane stopped to refuel and was detained by French police based on an anonymous tip that it might be carrying victims of human trafficking, Paris prosecutors said. Two people have been arrested and special investigators are questioning the other passengers.
The unusual and sudden investigation disrupted air travel, with police cordoning off the airport and flights to and from the regional airport being halted, according to the Marne region administration. The airfield is mainly used for charter and cargo flights.
Police detained the passengers at the airport, where they spent two nights in cots while the investigation continued, according to a Marne administration official. The official said the passengers initially remained on the A340 plane, surrounded by police on the tarmac, but were later transferred to the airport’s main concourse to sleep.
Emergency workers, Red Cross workers, a doctor and local volunteers are on hand to meet passengers’ needs, including regular meals, medical care and access to toilets and showers, it said on Saturday. the administration in a press release. A special section of the terminal has been set up for families.
Indian consular representatives visit the site regularly, the administration said. The Indian Embassy in France posted on X that embassy staff had been granted consular access to passengers. “We are investigating the situation and ensuring the well-being of passengers,” he said.
“Traumatized”
Liliana Bakayoko, a lawyer for Legend Airlines, said the company denies any role in possible human trafficking and welcomed the news that the plane’s crew had been released after questioning as “good news.” for the airline.
A “partner” company that operated the flight was responsible for verifying each passenger’s identity documents and provided passengers’ passport information to the airline 48 hours before the flight, Ms.me Bakayoko to the Associated Press.
The partner had supported several flights on Legend Airlines from Dubai to Nicaragua, and a few other flights have already made the trip without incident, she said. She did not want to identify the partner, specifying only that it is not a European company.
The crew members, who are of multiple nationalities, “are quite traumatized,” she said. “They wrote me messages saying they wanted to see their family for Christmas. »
The U.S. government has designated Nicaragua as one of several countries considered not to meet minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking.