Police in Spain are hunting 14 people who escaped from a commercial plane after an emergency landing – forced by a woman who “pretended” she was about to give birth.
The Pegasus Airlines flight from Morocco to Turkey landed at Barcelona’s El Prat airport on Wednesday afternoon after the woman claimed she was about to give birth.
After the plane landed, a group of 28 people left and “attempted to flee,” authorities said.
Police managed to stop half the crowd, but 14 officers escaped at the airport with impunity.
This map shows how Pegasus Airlines flight PC652 from Casablanca to Istanbul was diverted to Barcelona. Image: Flightradar24
Doctors later discovered the woman was pregnant but not yet in labor, and she was arrested on suspicion of public disorder.
Spanish authorities said the five captured had agreed to reboard a flight from the Moroccan city of Casablanca to Istanbul.
The rest are dealing with bans from entering Spain.
They were expected to leave the country on another Pegasus flight with the woman whose birth was allegedly faked, according to authorities.
The Spanish government office did not disclose the nationality of the passengers.
According to Flightradar.com, the plane with 228 passengers on board finally landed in Istanbul at 1.10pm local time (10.10am UK time) after a delay of more than three hours.
According to reports, the aircraft involved was an Airbus A321 with flight number PC652.
Journalists gather at Barcelona’s El Prat airport after the incident
It comes on the heels of a similar incident more than a year ago when a group of passengers flying from Casablanca to Istanbul escaped from the plane onto the runway on the Spanish island of Mallorca after making an emergency landing under false pretenses.
Of the 24 people who disembarked, 12 were arrested and 12 escaped.