KARACHI: The landing gear of an international airlines’ aircraft caught fire as it landed in Peshawar, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Thursday.
Rescue services promptly came to the aircraft’s rescue and saved hundreds of lives on board after the incident was reported by airport authorities.
“Upon arrival at Peshawar Airport earlier today, Saudi Airlines 792 experienced smoke and subsequently a fire in the left landing gear while manoeuvring in a loop near the runway,” the CAA said in a statement.
The Air Traffic Controller promptly communicated the incident to the pilot, and the fire and rescue services, who arrived in time and were able to swiftly extinguish the fire and prevent a major accident.
A video from the scene showed smoke billowing from under the aircraft which had over 200 people on board.
All 276 passengers and 21 crew members, the statement added, were safely evacuated from the aircraft using the inflatable slide as shown in another video from the scene.
The flight had taken off from Riyadh for Peshawar, it noted.
According to sources, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has taken notice of the incident and a team will begin investigation into the incident soon.
