Emirates Airline flight crash-lands at airport - govt

August 3, 2016 12:25 PM

Video purportedly of the incident showed a tower of flame bursting from the front of the aircraft, and then a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky.

Emirates Airline flight crash-lands at Dubai airport-govt

An Emirates Airline flight coming from India crash-landed and burst into flames on Wednesday at Dubai International Airport, but all 275 passengers and crew escaped from the burning fuselage and were evacuated to safety, authorities said.

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Video purportedly of the incident showed a tower of flame bursting from the front of the aircraft, and then a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky. Reuters was unable independently to verify the footage.

Photographs of the incident posted on social media showed a plane lying crumpled on its belly on the tarmac with black smoke pouring from its upper section.

All departure flights from Dubai international, the world's busiest airport for international travel, were delayed until further notice, authorities said.

A spokesperson for operator Dubai Airports said all passengers and crew aboard flight EK521 coming from Thiruvananthapuram had been safely evacuated and emergency services were managing the situation.

Emirates Airline said there had been 275 passengers and crew aboard the plane, a Boeing 777-300.

Planemaker Boeing said in a statement it was monitoring the situation in Dubai and it would be working with Emirates to gather more information.

Ben Bassey

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