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The aircraft’s main door partially opened while it was airborne at around 12,000 feet, the officials said. The aircraft landed safely in Dhaka. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/Representational)Anjana Bhowmik had been unwell for several months and was on ventilator support when she was being shifted to Kolkata for further treatment, the officials said. She was taken to a hospital in Dhaka after the aircraft landed, but doctors declared her dead, Bangladeshi media reported. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear, and it has not been established whether the technical problem or the diversion contributed to it.

The aircraft’s main door partially opened while it was airborne at around 12,000 feet, the officials said. The aircraft landed safely in Dhaka.

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Seven people were on board, including Bhowmik, two pilots, a doctor, a paramedic and two attendants, according to an official. The two attendants were reportedly relatives of the patient. The other occupants were reported to be unharmed.

Queries sent to SKB Infracon did not elicit a response. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also did not respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear whether the regulator had initiated an inquiry or taken any action against the operator.

The aircraft was manufactured in 1994 and was initially used by the Haryana government before being operated by SKB Infracon, according to information available about the aircraft.

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Bhowmik, originally from Guwahati, had been associated with AAI since the early 1990s, people familiar with her background in Agartala said. She was posted at Agartala airport around two years ago, they added.

A former Beechcraft pilot said the aircraft’s altitude of around 12,000 feet meant oxygen support could be necessary for those on board. He added that the pilots appeared to have managed the emergency effectively, but the circumstances of the incident would need to be established.

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