An Emirates plane with 300 people on board crash-landed and caught fire in Dubai on Wednesday, shutting down the busy airport, but the authorities said all the passengers were evacuated safely.
Footage on social media showed smoke billowing from the aircraft. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.“An Emirates plane coming from India has been involved in an accident on landing at Dubai International,” the government's Dubai Media Office said on its Twitter account.
“All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far,” it said.
Emirates confirmed the incident, saying that the plane was a Boeing 777. “We can confirm flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai has been involved in an accident at Dubai International,” the carrier said on its Twitter account.
Firefighter dies in plane disaster
A firefighter was killed while battling flames that erupted when an Emirates airline plane flying from India crash-landed in Dubai, the carrier's chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said.
Sheikh Ahmed said authorities were still investigating the incident, in which 14 other people were admitted to hospitals with mainly minor or moderate injuries. He said the crash-landing was not caused by any security breach.
He said the plane, which had entered service in 2003, had undergone maintenance in 2015 and that the United Arab Emirates pilot had over 7,000 hours of flying experience.
Emirates said it had “no further information on what may have caused the accident”. “Our priority remains with the passengers and crew involved,” it said.
Emirates said that there were 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board, including 226 Indians, 24 Britons and 11 Emirati nationals.
The Aviation Herald reported the aircraft touched down during a go-around without its gear deployed.
Footage on social media showed thick black smoke coming out of the centre of the plane while the fuselage appeared to be lying on the runway with escape slides opened.
The Dubai Media Office said the fire “has been contained,” adding that emergency teams at the airport and Emirates are “well trained to deal with such incidents”.
The Twitter account of live air traffic monitor Flightradar24 confirmed takeoffs and landings at Dubai had been suspended because of the incident.
14 people treated for 'cuts and bruises'
All 300 people on board the plane were evacuated safely.
Amazingly, just 14 people were taken to hospital to be treated for “cuts and bruises”.
Their injuries were described as “moderate”.
"Cabin filled with smoke in no time at all"
One passenger on the crashed Emirates plane told how the cabin “filled with smoke in no time at all”.
She said: “In no time the cabin was filled with smoke. There was no announcement. The emergency door was forced open. We believe all the passengers and crew have escaped. Many of us now feel we have breathing problems because of the smoke.”One shocked passenger said: “Technically, I have no idea what happened but while landing something abnormal took place on the runway.
“We saw smoke inside the aircraft and all the emergency doors were opened.
“I pulled my daughters and took my travel documents and slid down the slides.”
Dad tells how he sent his three daughters off plane first
Stunned Shaji Kochikutty, who was flying with his wife and three daughters, told how he the heroic crew helped guide everyone to safety.
He said: “It was a near disaster. God is great. He saved my family and we are grateful to be alive. What more can we ask for?
“They opened all emergency exits and guided us out. I first sent my three daughters.“My wife went next but hurt her knee while jumping out. I bruised my feet as I ran without my shoes.
“We were promptly given first aid and we are all fine now.
“I think we have lost all other belongings. They would have been completely burnt. But that’s not important. We can always replenish these things. But a life lost can never be replaced.”
Front row passenger thought he would die in crash
A passenger who was sitting in the front row has told how he thought he was going to die as the plane crash landed.
Ibrahim Thomas said: “I was sitting in the front row window seat. I saw the right side engine caught fire and then it was in the cabin.
“In another five minutes emergency doors were opened by the crew.”
Asked if he thought he would die, he replied: “Yes, yes, yes.”
“In another five minutes emergency doors were opened by the crew.”
Asked if he thought he would die, he replied: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Footage from inside the aircraft shows terrifying moment smoke fills the cabin
Footage has emerged showing smoke filling the inside of an Emirates plane which crashed landed at Dubai International Airport today.
Passengers filmed the terrifying moment the jet slumped onto the runway before bursting into flames, which later killed a firefighter tackling the huge blaze.
What caused the plane to crash?
Investigators will now be busy attempting to work out what caused the plane to crash.
Some aviation experts have speculated that it could have been pilot error.
However, others have suggested the weather could have been to blame.
Here are five theories which investigators will be looking into to establish exactly what happened.
Crew 'did what they were paid for'
Aviation expert David Learmount said the crew acted in line with protocol by evacuating all passengers.
“If there is a fire, or a risk of a fire, then the drill for every crew for every aeroplane flight in the world is to get the passengers off very fast, because if you don’t it’s a disaster,” he said.
“Did they do well? No, they did what they were paid for.”
The Boeing 777 departed Thiruvananthapuram at 10.19am and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm local time, according to Emirates.
Video posted online showed black smoke billowing from what appeared to be an Emirates jetliner, lying on its belly on the runway
Did hot weather cause fireball?
Hot weather could have played a part in the crash-landing of the airliner, an aviation expert has said.
Early indications suggested the plane, a Boeing 777, was not at fault and other factors would have been involved, according to expert David Learmount.
“The images tell us nothing except the aircraft eventually caught fire, but it certainly doesn’t tell us why it did,” he said.
“It was an incredibly hot day, it was very nearly 50 degrees.
“If you get a damaged wing and fuel comes out of it, it vaporises in temperatures like that and vapour is highly inflammable.”
He said temperature was “very likely” to have been a factor and that the crash should not prompt concerns about the safety of the plane.
“There have been accidents where 777s have been very badly damaged during a landing and yet we haven’t had a fire like that,” he said.The firefighter who died following this morning’s crash has been identified as Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan.
He died while putting out the flames from the accident, according to the chairman for the General Civil Aviation Authority.
Mr Al Hassan was from Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates.
Mr Al Hassan was from Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates.
Saif Al Suwaidi, director of General Civil Aviation Authority said the firefighter had “lost his life while saving the lives of others”.
“I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” he added.
“I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” he added.
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