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Over 25000 job seekers cause near-stampede at Mumbai airport for interviews | Watch

stampede at Mumbai airport for interviews
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A recruitment drive by Air India Airport Services Ltd (AIASL) for airport loaders spiraled into chaos at Mumbai airport yesterday, as more than 25,000 job seekers turned up to try their luck for just 600 vacancies.

The overwhelming turnout left Air India staff struggling to manage the massive crowd, leading to a stampede-like situation.

Visuals from the scene showed a frantic crowd jostling to reach the form counters. Reports indicated that applicants endured hours of waiting without food and water, leading to many facing health issues.

The aspirants said they were waiting in the queue since the previous night braving the rain and hunger.

Airport loaders play a critical role in the aviation industry, responsible for loading and unloading luggage, operating baggage belts, and driving ramp tractors. Each aircraft requires at least five loaders to handle luggage, cargo, and food supplies. Despite the demanding nature of the job, the position offers a salary ranging between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, with most loaders earning over Rs 30,000 after overtime allowances. The educational criteria for the job are relaxed, but candidates must be physically strong.

A video clip of the massive crowd of aspirants gathered at the interview location went viral on social media platforms. The huge crowd also caused a traffic jam in the area.

Earlier, a similar incident occurred in Gujarat’s Bharuch district where nearly 1800 job aspirants queued up to appear for the interview held by a private firm for just 10 posts. The viral video recently surfaced showing hundreds of jobseekers pushing and shoving at a walk-in interview for just 10 positions at a private firm. The rush was so intense that a railing collapsed under the weight of the jobseekers, though fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.

A political crossfire started online after the video of the recruitment chaos at Mumbai airport went viral. However, Air India is yet to respond to the video but videos like these highlight the scarcity of jobs and the hopelessly skewed ratio between jobs and job seekers in our country.