Israel flight hijacking latest: Terror investigation launched as passengers praised for preventing ‘Israel’s 9/11’
The flight from Dubai to Israel plunged approximately 13,000 feet in 30 seconds after the pilot lost control of the aircraft
Hila Gaier, who was on board the Flydubai flight with her daughters and partner, described the tense moments when they all bid goodbye to each other as the hijacking attempt unfolded. She said her daughters were scared as “complete chaos” broke out during the flight and the plane plunged. She told Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 Radio that her daughter was about to go to the restroom when the plane hit what she thought was “insane turbulence.”
“My daughters were hugging me, and we simply said goodbye to each other,” she said. “I told them, ‘My beloved girls, I love you.’ My partner looked at me and said, ‘I love you.’ We were simply staring death in the face.” Overhead bins opened, the power went out, and the communications system and screens all went down, Gaier said. “You have no idea what’s happening, and it just keeps going and going,” she said. “It’s been a complete nightmare.”
She said the plane, carrying families with children, was filled with “terrifying screams”.