Migrants escape from plane in Barcelona after woman fakes going into labor, Spanish government says

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More than a dozen migrants have escaped into Spain Wednesday after fleeing a plane that made an emergency landing in Barcelona when a pregnant woman onboard faked going into labor, the country’s government says. 

The incident at El Prat airport involved a flight from Casablanca, Morocco to Istanbul, Turkey, operated by Pegasus Airlines, according to Reuters. 

After the flight landed, 28 migrants managed to flee the aircraft – 14 of which ultimately were detained by police, the news agency reports, citing the Spanish government. The other 14 remain missing. 

The woman, meanwhile, was examined at a hospital and determined to have not yet gone into labor, the government reportedly said. 

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A Pegasus airline aircraft takes off at Cointrin airport in Geneva, Switzerland on June 24, 2021. One of the airline's planes reportedly made an emergency landing Wednesday, Dec. 7 in Barcelona, Spain. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

Five of the migrants caught were put back on the plane while nine – including the pregnant woman, who was arrested on public disorder charges – will be deported to Morocco, according to the BBC. 

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The plane, with a total of 228 passengers onboard, finally landed in Istanbul after a delay of more than three hours, Reuters also reported, citing the flight tracking website Flightradar.com. 

People walk under a sign at Barcelona's El Prat airport in Spain pn Aug. 4, 2017. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)

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The incident follows a similar one last year on the Spanish island of Mallorca in which an Air Arabia flight traveling on the same Morocco to Istanbul route made an emergency landing after a man had an apparent medical emergency, the BBC reports. 

A plane takes off in Barcelona, Spain, on Nov. 3, 2022. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce)

That individual later was medically cleared and 12 passengers managed to escape that aircraft.