Foreign airline plane catches fire at Peshawar airport

PESHAWAR: A fire broke out in a Saudi Airlines plane at the Peshawar airport on Thursday, ARY News reported.

The fire erupted in the landing gear of the plane, according to reports.

All 276 passengers and 21 crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft using the inflatable slide. The flight was travelling to Riyadh from Peshawar.

 

Firefighting crews responded promptly and managed to extinguish the flames engulfing the aircraft.

Initial reports suggest that the fire erupted as the plane was touching down at the airport.

Earlier in the day, the Colombo-bound plane made an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi in the wee hours of Thursday after a passenger’s health worsened mid-air.

According to sources, the flight was going to Colombo from Dubai, when the health of the woman passenger worsened after a heart attack. The pilot of the flight sought permission for an emergency landing at the Karachi airport from the ATC.

After getting clearance, the flight made an emergency landing at the Karachi airport. The medical team during the checkup found the passenger was already dead, CAA sources said.

The deceased passenger was identified as Paloni, 57, who lost her life due to heart attack. The health officer issued the death certificate of the passenger and later plane with the body departed for Colombo.