India, Oct. 2 -- Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured after allegedly being attacked by his co-pilot aboard a flight from the UAE's Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel on Wednesday, told Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the terrifying moments inside the cockpit, including how he realised the aircraft was going down and made a final attempt to open the cockpit door.

Machchhar, speaking to PM Modi from his hospital bed on Friday, said he "could not let all those people die.

His actions on Wednesday helped avert a potential disaster after he managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering injuries, allowing several passengers and crew to intervene and the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Smit Machchhar told ...