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150 Russian tourists stranded in France

The plane was unable to fly the tourists home because of breakdown

MOSCOW, January 4 (Itar-Tass) — Some 150 Russian tourists have been stranded in Lille, France since Thursday because of plane breakdown, one of the tourists told Itar-Tass by telephone from France.

"The A-319 belonging to Tatar Airliners arrived yesterday; it had to fly to Moscow at 16:30, local time," tourist Anna Chaplygina said, but the DSBW tour operator later reported that the plane was unable to fly the tourists home because of breakdown.

"We were given meals and accommodated at a hotel at the airport's expense. Neither the tour operator nor Tatar Airlines notified us about what had happened," Chaplygina said.

The tourists talked to a Tatar Airlines pilot whom they met in the same hotel. "The pilot said the part needed for repairs was not found in Lille, and that a new plane would be sent from Moscow to collect the tourists," she said.

Meanwhile, DSBW has been unable to confirm the information that 150 Russian tourists have been stranded in Lille. "We have no such information," a DSBW staffer told Itar-Tass.