Nagpur, Aug 27 (IANS): A potential disaster was averted as a Biman Bangladesh flight, from Muscat to Dhaka, made a safe emergency landing at the Nagpur airport after the pilot reportedly suffered a heart attack mid-air, officials said here on Friday.

The Boeing 737 aircraft, with 126 passengers on board, was cleared for landing shortly before 11.45 a.m. and the pilot rushed to a local hospital.

An alternative Biman Bangladesh aircraft with 8 crew members from Dhaka is expected to reach Nagpur later to take back the passengers stranded here, the officials said.

The medical emergency happened when flight BG-22 was overflying the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and it contacted the Kolkata air traffic control (ATC) for priority landing.

The flight was advised to contact, and divert to, the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport for the emergency landing which went off uneventfully.

All the passengers on board were reported safe, said the officials.