An Emirates passenger plane burst into flames as it crash landed at Dubai airport on Wednesday but all 300 passengers and crew members survived the impact.
But a firefighter was killed while trying to battle the inferno, the Dubai government’s media office said.
There were 24 Britons aboard Emirates Flight EK521 when it came crashing down in the final moments of a return flight from Thiruvananthapuram in southern India.
Shortly before the Boeing 777 was due to land, the pilot informed passengers that there was a problem with the landing gear and that he would be forced into an emergency landing, according to Indian media.
It is not clear if the landing gear failed to deploy or if it buckled upon landing.
All aboard were evacuated within minutes of the crash landing and only one person – a crew member – was taken to hospital for treatment, according to TP Seetharam, the Indian ambassador to the UAE.
“We can confirm that there are no fatalities among our passengers and crew. All passengers and crew are accounted for and safe,” Emirates said in a statement.
The crash led to an immediately halt of both departures and arrivals, bringing travel chaos to the Middle East’s busiest airport. Dozens of departing flights were delayed or cancelled while some incoming traffic was redirected to other airports in the region.
Emirates, which is based out of Dubai, said it expected an eight-hour delay across its entire network.
226 of the 300 people aboard were Indian, according to Emirates, along with 24 Britons, and 11 people from UAE.
There were six Americans and six Saudis along with small groups from Turkey, Ireland, Australia and other countries.
The crashed aircraft was a Boeing 777 that has been in service since 2003, according to Flight Radar 24.
The investigation into the crash will be lead by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. Boeing, the maker of the aircraft, said it would support the investigations.
According to CNN and Telegraph, departure flights have resumed from Dubai International Airport
Meanwhile, a statement issued in Lagos by Emirates says: Emirates can confirm that today, 3 August 2016, flight EK521 travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai has been involved in an operational incident upon landing at Dubai International Airport. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board.
It explained that the Boeing 777 aircraft, departed at 10.19am from Trivandrum International Airport and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm at Dubai International Airport.
“We can confirm that there are no fatalities among our passengers and crew. We are expecting a 8-hour network wide delay, more information will be available on the Emirates website and social media channels. The following flights out of Dubai on the 3 of August are cancelled.
“We expect operations at Dubai International Airport to resume approximately at 1830 local time, more information on Emirates flights will be available on the Emirates website and social media channels.
“We are doing everything we can to help passengers re-book flights. Emirates commercial passengers and Skywards members who had purchased tickets on or before 3rd August 2016 will have rebooking; re-issue; and cancellation charges waived. For more information, visit www.emirates.com/ or contact the local Emirates sales offices. Numbers can be found here:https://www.emirates.com/english/help/contact-emirates/”, the airline said in its statement.
By Sade Williams
