All 300 passengers on an Emirates flight from India to Dubai survived after the plane crash-landed at Dubai’s main airport on Wednesday.
The airline’s chairman and CEO said that one firefighter was killed while responding to the incident, but the 282 passengers and 18 crew members were safe after the accident.
As the plane made its descent, there were reports of sudden downdraft. It is unknown if this had any effect on the crash. The crash-landing happened at 12:45 PM local time. Flight EK521 was returning from the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram.
The pilot reportedly announced there was a problem with the landing gear as they neared Dubai and that he would have to make an emergency landing. After the landing, all emergency exits were opened and everyone onboard was evacuated within minutes. The plane burst into flames after it landed.
Six U.S. citizens were aboard the plane; 226 people from India, 24 from Britain, 11 from the Emirates, 6 from Saudi Arabia, 5 from Turkey, and 4 from Ireland were onboard as well. Two people each came from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand. One person each came from Croatia, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, and Tunisia.
Boeing, the U.S. plane manufacturer, said investigations are pending with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Said Mohamed Al Suwaidi, director general of Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority, released a statement on the event, saying, “Our main concern is the safety and well-being of all passengers and cabin crew right now.”
