Khaberni - In an aviation incident raising concerns about onboard food safety, dozens of passengers and crew on a flight operated by China Eastern Airlines from Shanghai to Moscow suffered severe food poisoning symptoms, just an hour and a half after takeoff on Sunday.
According to a report published by the Russian agency "Shot Proverka", the flight MU-511, which departed from Shanghai Pudong Airport at 11:00 AM Shanghai time, had 240 passengers and 12 crew members on board. An hour and a half later, lunch was served to the economy class passengers, and within 30 minutes, 15 passengers reported sudden nausea, and 25 others experienced diarrhea and vomiting, leading to chaos in the bathrooms and aisles.
The pilot requested an emergency landing permission in Moscow, where the aircraft landed at 3:00 PM Moscow time, four hours ahead of schedule, and ambulances transported 40 passengers to hospitals where doctors confirmed severe food poisoning, most cases being mild requiring fluids and care for hours.
A Russian passenger, Alexei Ivanov, told "Shot Proverka": "The symptoms started suddenly, I felt dizzy and vomited as if the food was completely spoiled. The crew was astonished, but they were panicked."
The company confirmed in a formal statement: "We are investigating the source of the meal and providing full compensation to those affected, including rearranging flights," and the Russian authorities, in coordination with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, froze shipments of food from the Chinese supplier and conducted laboratory tests on samples taken from the aircraft.
"China Eastern Airlines" is not new to incidents as in March 2022, their Boeing 737-800 crashed in Guangxi, resulting in the deaths of 132 people, and the final investigation report has not yet been issued.
This year, the company recorded extensive delays and cancellations due to operational issues, including 336 delays on December 7 alone, according to reports from Travel and Tour World.
