KARACHI: The undercarriage of an international airlines aircraft caught fire while landing in Peshawar, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Thursday.
Emergency services immediately rushed to rescue the plane and saved hundreds of lives on board after the incident was reported to airport authorities.
On arrival at Peshawar Airport today, an international airliner encountered smoke and subsequently caught fire in the left landing gear while maneuvering in a loop near the runway, the CAA said in a statement.
The air traffic controller immediately informed the pilot and the fire and rescue services about the incident, who arrived in time and were able to extinguish the fire quickly and prevent a major accident.
Video from the scene shows smoke billowing from under the plane, which had more than 200 people on board.
All 276 passengers and 21 crew members, the statement added, were safely evacuated from the plane using an inflatable slide, as additional video from the scene shows.
The plane took off from Riyadh to Peshawar, she noted.
According to sources, the incident has been noticed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the team will soon start investigating the incident.
