Who is Nina Manes? Six-year-old boy celebrated role in averting disaster on Flydubai flight | Today’s news

Six-year-old Nina Manes and her mother Tali are credited with helping alert passengers during a mid-air emergency aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 passengers when the Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed Indian captain Captain Smit Machchhar in what authorities described as an apparent attempt to crash the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

According to the description of the incident, Nina asked her mother to take her to the toilet. As they stood outside, they heard noise and screams coming from the cockpit. Tali described seeing “blood all over the cockpit” and witnessing intense combat movements.

After Nina’s father, Tzvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi’s underwriting division, and two other passengers rushed forward to enter the cockpit and subdue the assailant when they heard their daughter’s screams and realized a crisis was imminent.

The badly injured captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers to enter, overpower and detain the co-pilot. Passengers also helped stabilize the situation after the plane plunged thousands of feet.

An off-duty pilot, a passenger on the flight, subsequently helped bring the plane to a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense officials have since praised the bravery of the captain and passengers, crediting their actions with preventing a potential mass-casualty disaster.

PM Modi talks to injured Indian pilot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Captain Smit Machchaar, the Indian pilot who was seriously injured after his co-pilot attacked him on board a Dubai-Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight.

During the interview, Machchaar shared details of his experiences during the incident and talked about what gave him the courage to act during the emergency.

The Prime Minister praised the pilot’s bravery and wished him a speedy recovery.