Plane catches fire after landing at Dubai airport
August 3, 2016
An Emirates Airline plane coming from India made an emergency landing and burst into flames at Dubai airport on Wednesday, the airline and the government reported.
Emirates confirmed that "an incident" at Dubai airport had occurred but that all 300 passengers and crew aboard were safely evacuated. It reported "no fatalities" in a post on Twitter.
Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the chairman and CEO of the airline, said that one firefighter was killed responding to the blaze and 10 people were hospitalized.
The airline stated that the accident occurred as Flight EK521 arrived from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. Emirates said its "main priority now is the safety and well-being of all involved."
Passengers said that as the plane neared Dubai, the pilot announced that there was an issue with the landing gear, according to Iype Vallikadan, a reporter with the Indian newspaper "Mathrubhumi News."
After halting all arrivals and departures, Dubai International Airport said flights had resumed in a restricted capacity.
Sources at Dubai's airport say the pilot requested an emergency landing after a fire broke out in one of the plane's engines.
Social media users posted videos and pictures of black smoke billowing from an Emirates jetliner. The plane appeared to be lying on its belly.
The Boeing 777 was scheduled to land at 12:50 p.m. local time, but was involved in the "incident" at 12:45 p.m.
rs/kl (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)