Siberia: According to the airline, an engine malfunction caused an Air India flight from New Delhi to San Francisco to be diverted to Russia.
The Boeing 777, which was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members, made a successful landing on Tuesday at Magadan airport in Siberia, in the far east of Russia, according to a statement from Air India.

The aircraft was undergoing safety checks, and assistance was being given to the passengers, the statement continued. The flight "developed a technical issue with one of its engines," it added.

Later on Wednesday, the airline announced that a substitute aircraft would be flying from Mumbai to Magadan to transport the stranded travellers to San Francisco on Thursday.

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Fewer than 50 Americans were on the plane, according to Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the US State Department in Washington, and the department was not aware of any of them contacting the US Embassy in Russia or other diplomatic missions.

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With his brother and uncle, 16-year-old Girvaan Singh Kahma took the flight. He claimed that due to sanctions related to Russia's war on Ukraine, they were unable to use their credit cards and were not allowed to leave the hostel where they were staying in Magadan.

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We all agreed that the first day and a half had been particularly challenging. "The weather went to 3 to 4 degrees (Celsius) in the morning, and in the night it was bitter cold," he remarked, adding that it was getting better with food and a place to sleep.

The Russian soldiers, the Russian police, the authorities, everyone working in the hostel has been treating us extremely well," the man said.