More than 100 of the 373 passengers aboard an Emirates flight were trapped on a plane for 10 hours at Hangzhou Airport in China after a storm forced the aircraft to divert from its original destination of Shanghai.
The captain planned to wait out the weather and depart soon, so passengers were kept on board, according to The Sun. The flight crew later had to leave the plane after exceeding their permitted working hours, and a replacement crew was delayed by the storm.
Conditions worsened at 3 a.m. when the air conditioning broke down. Emergency services were called and passengers begged for water. At least one man fainted, and footage published by The Sun showed panic spreading among those on board.
A new crew arrived at 4 a.m. but almost immediately announced a serious technical problem. After 10 hours on the ground and 17 hours total on board, the captain cancelled the flight. Emirates apologized and provided passengers with hotel accommodation and train tickets to Shanghai.
