276 Indians were on board a charter aircraft that was grounded in France on Monday as part of an investigation into human trafficking, according to officials. The passengers experienced a remarkable holiday trip when they were stranded inside a tiny French airport for four days, despite their intended destination being Nicaragua.

After the crew and passengers boarded the aircraft, Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne country witnessed the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off.

Of the 303 people, the regional authorities stated that 276 were traveling to Mumbai and that the remaining 25 had applied for refuge in France. It stated that those who persisted were moved to an area designated specifically for asylum seekers at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Several unaccompanied adolescents and a youngster aged 21 months were among the passengers who were forced to land in France.

The Paris prosecutor's office reported that the two passengers who were left were freed on Monday following their appearance before a judge, having previously been held as part of an inquiry into human trafficking. The judge designated them as "assisted witnesses" in the case, which, according to French law, grants them a special status that permits more inquiry and may ultimately result in charges being brought or the case being withdrawn.

An anonymous tip that the Legend Airlines A340 plane may have been carrying victims of human trafficking led authorities to ground the aircraft on Thursday while it was stopping in Vatry, Nicaragua, for refueling.

While prosecutors would not comment, there has been a spike in the number of Indian people entering the United States from Mexico this year.

For several days, the Vatry airport was under police occupation. Volunteers, medical professionals, and local authorities set up cots, made sure that inmates had regular meals, and provided baths. Judges, attorneys, and interpreters then crowded the terminal on Sunday, transforming it into a makeshift courtroom, holding urgent sessions to ascertain the next steps.

Several attorneys objected to the way the case was handled by the authorities and the rights of the passengers during the hearings on Sunday, claiming that the police and prosecutors had overreacted to the anonymous tip.

The Indian Embassy thanked the French authorities on X, the former Twitter, for allowing the Indians to return home. Regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press that French officials worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on paperwork to allow people to exit France.

In France, a transit zone may hold foreign nationals for up to four days while police conduct an investigation. A special judge will then have to decide whether to prolong this period to eight days.

Some passengers didn't want to go to India since they had paid for a vacation to Nicaragua, according to Legend Airlines attorney Liliana Bakayoko. The airline has disclaimed any involvement in any potential human trafficking.

Nicaragua is one of the nations that the US government has identified as not meeting the requirements necessary to end human trafficking. Because other countries have low or no entrance criteria requiring a visa, Nicaragua has also been used as a migratory springboard for persons fleeing poverty or conflict. On occasion, the trip is made using charter flights.