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A 24-year-old pilot allegedly stole a plane while drunk and flew towards a nuclear power plant in Hungary, triggering a major emergency response before the aircraft crashed in a sunflower field.

The worrying flight path of the Cessna 172 entered the no-fly zone around Hungary’s largest nuclear power plant and triggered an alert on military radar.

Hungarian air force officials quickly mobilised a task force, with several fighter jets sent to intercept the aircraft.

The mid-air operation lasted only a few minutes before the pilot unexpectedly crash-landed in a sunflower field around four miles from the plant. Aerial footage showed a flattened trail through the sunflowers where the aircraft had bulldozed its way across the field.

The pilot was uninjured, but the Cessna 172 was left badly damaged after the crash. Police allege that the aircraft had been stolen from Kalocsa Airport. Following the emergency landing, the suspect allegedly attempted to flee the scene on foot, heading along a nearby road.

He was then spotted “in a distressed state” by a passing driver.

Police said the man attempted to take over the driver’s car, forcing the motorist to fight him off.

Officers said the allegedly intoxicated pilot “was stopped in time” before he could take control of the vehicle.

Police arrested the man at the scene and took him in for questioning.

Officers said testing would establish whether he had been under the influence of alcohol or other substances at the time of the incident.

The nuclear power plant, which supplies around 50 per cent of Hungary’s electricity, was not damaged during the incident.

Police are now investigating how the man allegedly managed to steal the aircraft and take off without being stopped.

The incident has also raised questions over how the aircraft was able to enter the restricted airspace around the nuclear facility before military authorities responded. It is not the first time an allegedly intoxicated pilot has been arrested.

Earlier this month, an allegedly intoxicated pilot was escorted from a plane by police just minutes before takeoff in Georgia, US.

David Allsop, 52, was removed from his flight in front of stunned passengers and subsequently had his pilot’s licence revoked. After being questioned by police, Allsop reportedly admitted that he had drunk “a few beers” the night before. He then suggested that the smell officers noticed had come from his nicotine gum.

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A huge floating island covered in trees mysteriously appeared in a Canadian reservoir before vanishing just weeks later, leaving officials unsure where the bizarre landmass has gone.

The strange sighting occurred at British Columbia’s Williston Reservoir, where boaters spotted what appeared to be a fully formed island drifting through the water. The floating mass was enormous, measuring roughly the equivalent of two NFL football fields.

Satellite imagery taken on July 21 confirmed that the unusual landmass was real and showed it floating about 60 miles west of the W.A.C.

Bennett Dam. But by August 5, the island had disappeared from satellite images.

The utility responsible for managing the reservoir has yet to determine exactly what happened to it.

A spokesperson told CBC that the island may not have sunk at all, suggesting it could have drifted back towards the shoreline or moved into a more sheltered section of the vast reservoir. Officials believe unusually high water levels may have helped tear the island away from the shoreline, after which strong winds could have carried it across the reservoir.

The mysterious disappearance has left the possibility that the huge mass of vegetation is still somewhere on the reservoir, hidden from view. For now, officials have no confirmed explanation for exactly where the floating island ended up meaning the vast reservoir may still be home to a runaway island.

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Dangote Petroleum Refinery has indicated that it will no longer sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to major oil marketers that hold valid licences to import the product.

Industry sources said the refinery’s decision is targeted at companies that continue to bring petrol into Nigeria despite the increasing availability of locally refined products.

According to figures cited by Dangote Refinery, imported petrol accounted for about 43 per cent of total PMS supply in July.

The refinery is concerned that the continued influx of imported petrol is reducing the market available to domestic refiners and could undermine investments in local refining capacity.

Under the new arrangement, Dangote Refinery is expected to prioritise marketers that do not have petrol import licences.

Companies that continue to import PMS under the Federal Government’s approved import regime may therefore no longer be able to purchase petrol directly from the refinery.

Six companies were issued licences by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in May to import PMS. They are Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano, AYM Shafa, NIPCO, Pinnacle Oil and Gas, and Bono Energy.

Such a situation, the sources said, could make it difficult for consumers and regulators to distinguish between Dangote’s products and imported fuel. Any quality-related complaints could consequently affect the refinery’s reputation.

The refinery has also questioned whether NMDPRA currently has sufficient laboratory capacity to conduct comprehensive testing of imported petrol entering the Nigerian market.

Dangote Refinery’s latest position represents a further escalation of its longstanding concerns over continued petrol imports into Nigeria.

The refinery has previously warned that sustained imports could force it to export more of its refined products rather than incur the high cost of storing unsold petrol locally.

The development could lead to a more divided supply system in the Nigerian downstream oil market, with Dangote Refinery supplying mainly marketers that do not import petrol while licensed importers source a larger share of their products from overseas.

The development could lead to a more divided supply system in the Nigerian downstream oil market, with Dangote Refinery supplying mainly marketers that do not import petrol while licensed importers source a larger share of their products from overseas.

This could affect the availability of petrol at different depots, demand for imported cargoes and, potentially, pump prices across different parts of the country.

The Federal Government had approved petrol import licences as part of efforts to ensure adequate supply and maintain competition in the downstream petroleum sector. Dangote Refinery, however, maintains that continued dependence on imported petrol could weaken the market for locally refined products and discourage further investment in domestic refining capacity.