🔻Indian captain of the Flydubai aircraft whose co-pilot was wounded during the attack says he fought to save his own life but was determined not to let others die,

🔻Indian captain of the Flydubai aircraft whose co-pilot was wounded during the attack says he fought to save his own life but was determined not to let others die.

Smith Machchar, in talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that when he realized the plane was going to crash and he had to do something, he was on the floor of the cockpit and was struggling with his co-pilot.

He said: «I was injured on the floor of the cockpit, but I told myself to try one last time to open the door from inside.»

He added: «Others entered and played a role in controlling the situation. Of course, I was fighting for my own life, but at the same time I knew I should not let others die.»

The Tel Aviv-bound plane from Dubai fell by more than 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) two and a half hours after the start of the flight on Wednesday. At that point, passengers and the flight crew overcame the attacker’s co-pilot and regained control of the aircraft.

The flight was forced to reroute to Tabuk, a city in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.