Emirate’s passenger jet which crash landed in Dubai.
BY NT CORRESPONDENT (INITIAL REPORTING BY REUTERS).
A man died today while trying to put out a fire on an Emirate’s passenger jet which crash landed in Dubai.
The firefighter according to Emirates chairman passed on following the dramatic emergency landing.
Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said authorities were still investigating the incident, in which 14 other people aboard the plane were injured and admitted to hospitals with minor or moderate injuries.
Around 300 passengers and crew were able to scamper for safety before their plane was engulfed in flames at Dubai International Airport.
An amateur video showed torrents of flame bursting from the front of the Boeing 777-300 jetliner, and then a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Reuters was unable to verify the footage independently.
Ms Sharon Maryam Sharji a passenger said, “It was actually really terrifying. As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin.”
“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. It was horrifying.”
Safety experts said it was too early to pinpoint any cause for the crash. Investigators will scour the wreckage and interview pilots, controllers and witnesses for clues to any technical malfunctions.