NEW DELHI,  May 5 : More than 200 people were evacuated from an IndiGo aircraft at the Chandigarh airport on Tuesday after a passenger’s power bank kept in a seat pocket caught fire and filled the cabin with smoke, according to sources.

The incident happened soon after the A321 aircraft landed from Hyderabad. It operated flight 6E-108.

“After landing during taxi into the bay at Chandigarh, a power bank kept in a pouch in the seat pocket by a passenger seated on 39C caught fire. Aircraft was stopped in the bay,” aviation watchdog DGCA said in a statement.

The regulator said cabin crew used two fire extinguisher bottles to put out the fire, and all six slides of the aircraft were deployed to evacuate the passengers.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also said that no passenger injury has been reported.

However, in a statement, IndiGo said there was an incident involving a customer’s personal electronic equipment catching fire was reported when the IndiGo aircraft was stationary after landing.

“In the interest of safety, an immediate evacuation was carried out, and all the relevant authorities were immediately informed. All customers have been safely moved to the terminal and are being attended to by the team to ensure their well-being,” the statement said.

According to the sources, there were more than 200 people on the aircraft, including 6 crew members.

Initially, sources had said that smoke emanated from an overhead bin due to the power bank catching fire.

In November last year, DGCA advised airlines to prohibit the use of power banks for charging portable electronic devices during flight, in view of safety concerns arising from lithium battery-related incidents.

A passenger who was on board the aircraft told the media that the incident took place as soon as the flight had landed.

The passenger said his wife, who was also on the flight, suffered a twisted ankle during the evacuation of passengers. He also mentioned that his wife and other passengers were evacuated using sliders.

According to him, smoke started to come out from the power bank of a person on the last seat, and the air hostess used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. But a lot of smoke filled up inside the plane, and there was panic, he added.

The air hostess tried to calm down the passengers, but there was panic, the passenger said, adding that emergency gates were opened and evacuation was carried out.

Sliders were put up to help passengers come down. There were children and elderly people on board the plane, he said.

Further, the passenger said his wife was taken to a hospital in Zirakpur, where doctors informed them that she had suffered multiple fractures and surgery could be required. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, May 5 : The Pirelli Calendar 2027 will feature India as the protagonist, showcasing original works by renowned Indian master Raghu Rai along with Norwegian photographer Solve Sundsbo, Pirelli has announced.

The company said that Rai had dedicated himself to developing the project over the last three months, “through an original series of photographs that reflect his heritage and his vision of India for the Calendar”.

The calendar, known and trademarked as ‘The Cal’, will be brought to completion with the help of Rai’s daughter and acclaimed photographer Avani Rai, whose works will also feature in the upcoming edition to “realise her father’s intentions for the series”.            “The work my father created for Pirelli was a tribute to India — bringing together his lifelong vision with a more contemporary expression of its people and diversity, something he was always deeply drawn to. I cannot bear the thought of it remaining unrealised. Bringing it to life feels deeply personal, as if I am stepping into his gaze and the way he saw India through his camera.

“Photography was his gift to me, not just as a craft, but as a way of seeing, and in that we found a quiet, profound  connection. Carrying this forward feels like a way of staying close to him, of keeping a part of him alive within me,” Avani Rai said in a statement.

Raghu Rai, who died on April 26, has to his credit some of the most memorable photographs from significant events in Indian modern history, including the Bangladesh refugee crisis of 1972 and the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984.

He recorded India’s social, political and spiritual shades in his portraits of leading figures, including Indira Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Satyajit Ray, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Bismillah Khan, which offered hitherto unknown perspectives into their lives.

Sundsbo, who photographed the calendar 2026, will also contribute to the upcoming edition, working together with Avani Rai.

“It’s a great honor to be invited again to contribute to the Pirelli Calendar. I am very pleased to do so alongside Avani Rai and pay tribute to her father’s legacy. It’s a momentous opportunity to explore India. We will both do our utmost to celebrate the country and Mr. Rai’s memory with this collaboration,” Sundsbo said. (PTI)