28 people attempt to flee as airplane makes emergency landing in Barcelona

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - An airplane flying from Casablanca to Istanbul made an emergency landing in Barcelona Wednesday morning, and 28 passengers used the opportunity to illegally flee into Spain, according to the Spanish daily El Pais.

Authorities said they are still searching for 14 passengers who managed to flee, while others were caught or decided to return to the airport.

The airplane made the emergency landing because a pregnant woman appeared to be going into labor.

Authorities rushed her to a hospital in Barcelona so she could give birth, but doctors soon discovered that she was not in labor.

According to El Pais, the woman has been detained for public disorder.

A similar incident occurred in November last year when a man pretended to go into a diabetic coma on another flight from Morocco to Türkiye.

That plane made an emergency landing in Mallorca, and more than 20 passengers rushed off the plane.

They were eventually caught and are facing serious charges, including sedition.

Last week, another migrant made an inventive attempt to cross into Spain, using a paraglider to soar over the border fence separating Spain and Morocco.

The last police update suggested that Spanish authorities have yet to apprehend the individual behind that stunt.