An Emirates airline EK521 flying from Thiruvanantapuram, India crash-landed at Dubai International Airport at around 12:45 pm on Wednesday. It then caught fire on the runway.
While all passengers were evacuated safely, a firefighter died while saving the lives of others, the General Civil Aviation Authority said (GCAA).
There were 300 people on board, including 282 passengers and 18 crew members.
Out of the 282 passengers on the flight, 226 were from India. Six people, who were injured in the incident, were admitted to a hospital in Dubai.
There were 24 nationals from UK, six each from the USA and Saudi Arabia, five from Turkey, and four from Ireland, on the plane. Others on board were from Thailand, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia.
Photos uploaded by passengers on the flight show plumes of black smoke rising from the airplane.
A first person video from inside the plane reveals the chaos at the time.
Departure flights from the airport have been resumed.
The aircraft involved in the accident was an Emirates Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW, delivered in March 2003.
The aircraft suffered heavy damage after it hit the ground and caught fire, according to local media reports.
A spokesperson for the Dubai media office, which represents the Emirate’s government, said:
All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far. Authorities at Dubai International Airport are dealing with the incident at the moment to ensure safety of all.
The emergency helpline number of Emirates at Trivandrum Airport is 0471-3377337.
Phone numbers for queries of family members of the passengers are:
UAE – 8002111
UK – 00442034508853
US – 0018113502081
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
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