Tear gas scare at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Hyderabad: There was a lot of commotion at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Friday when some passengers ran out of the departure area fearing that they were being tear-gassed.

An Air India flight from Jeddah to Mumbai via Hyderabad was delayed in the morning. Passengers who were to board the flight at RGIA started to protest when they were told that there would be a two-hour delay due to a technical problem. In the melee, a fire extinguisher was accidentally knocked down by an agitated passenger.

The fire extinguisher started releasing chemicals and the passengers thought that the CISF personnel were using tear gas to break up the protesting crowd, and ran out.

However, within minutes normalcy was restored, officials said. Air India staff said the flight took off over two-and-a-half hours behind schedule.