Migrants escape from plane in Barcelona after woman fakes going into labor

More than a dozen migrants have escaped into Spain December 7 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, Türkiye, operated by Pegasus Airlines, Fox News reports, citing 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.

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.

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.

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.

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