MORE than 140 passengers on a Delhi-bound flight from Surat had a miraculous escape Thursday after a stray buffalo ran onto the runway as the aircraft was about to take off.

    Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet’s flight SG66 hit the animal at the airport in Magdala, in the Western state of Gujarat at around 7:25 p.m. As a result the airline has suspended all its services at the Surat airport for an indefinite period.

    While none of the 146 passengers were injured, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft’s left engine was “severely damaged” and the buffalo died on the spot.

    The front wheel has just left land when the collision happened. The pilot initiated an emergency stop and the plane came to a halt around bushes situated outside the runway.

    The pilot and co-pilot explained what had happened to passengers and drove the plane into the parking area to check the damage. An alternate aircraft was arranged to fly the passengers to Delhi.

    Buffaloes graze in fields just next to the airport and are a common sight in the area but one of the animals had escaped through a gap in the perimeter fencing and had walked onto the runway. (SD-Agencies)