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Emirates plane crash-lands at Dubai airport | Emirates plane crash-lands at Dubai airport |
(35 minutes later) | |
An Emirates plane has crash-landed at Dubai International Airport and caught fire. | |
All 300 people on board were able to escape from the burning aircraft, but a firefighter was killed tackling the blaze. | |
The Boeing 777 appeared to have landed on its belly, and images showed thick black smoke rising into the sky. | |
Emirates chairman Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum paid tribute to the firefighter who lost his life fighting the blaze. | |
The aircraft was flying to Dubai from the southern Indian state of Kerala. | |
Flights to and from the airport were suspended for several hours but have now resumed. | Flights to and from the airport were suspended for several hours but have now resumed. |
The Emirates chairman told a press conference that evacuation procedures were executed professionally and the cabin crew were the last to leave the plane. | |
Thirteen people had suffered minor injuries, he said. | |
A passenger on board the plane told Reuters news agency that the experience was terrifying. | |
"As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin," said Sharon Maryam Sharji. | "As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin," said Sharon Maryam Sharji. |
"People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides and as we were leaving on the runway, we could see the whole plane catch fire." | |
Emirates said there were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board from 20 nationalities, most of them Indian, with 24 Britons and 11 people from the United Arab Emirates. | |
The captain and the first officer have over 7,000 hours of flying experience each, the airline said. | |
Analysis by Richard Westcott, transport correspondent | |
As is usual following a big accident, there are lots of unconfirmed reports out there speculating about what happened. | As is usual following a big accident, there are lots of unconfirmed reports out there speculating about what happened. |
The aircraft is sitting on the ground without its landing gear, but it is not clear why the wheels are not down. | The aircraft is sitting on the ground without its landing gear, but it is not clear why the wheels are not down. |
Some reports suggest the crew were making a normal, rather than an emergency approach, when air traffic controllers told them to abandon the landing and start climbing again, for unknown reasons. | Some reports suggest the crew were making a normal, rather than an emergency approach, when air traffic controllers told them to abandon the landing and start climbing again, for unknown reasons. |
The answers should come out in the next few days. | The answers should come out in the next few days. |
Whatever the cause, it is a testament to the crew that they got everyone off the plane. | |
Richard Westcott: Why air travel is safer than ever | Richard Westcott: Why air travel is safer than ever |
Flight EK521, direct from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai, is popular with hundreds of thousands of Kerala residents who work in the Gulf countries. | Flight EK521, direct from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai, is popular with hundreds of thousands of Kerala residents who work in the Gulf countries. |
Emirates is the Middle East's biggest airline, and has an excellent safety record. | Emirates is the Middle East's biggest airline, and has an excellent safety record. |
It ranked seventh in a survey of the world's safest airlines by AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety website. | It ranked seventh in a survey of the world's safest airlines by AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety website. |
Dubai International Airport is a major transport hub, one of the world's busiest for international passengers, operating with only two runways. | Dubai International Airport is a major transport hub, one of the world's busiest for international passengers, operating with only two runways. |
Are you at Dubai Airport? Have you been affected? Tell us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you at Dubai Airport? Have you been affected? Tell us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
You can also contact us in the following ways: | You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |