Video: Saudi Airlines Flight With 297 Aboard Catches Fire While Landing In Pakistan’s Peshawar

The landing gear of a Saudi Airlines flight with 297 passengers aboard caught fire as it was landing at Pakistan’s Peshawar airport on Thursday. According to a report by news agency Dawn, the fire was sparked due to some issue in the landing gear.

The report said that passengers and the crew members were evacuated safely. The Islamabad-based newspaper said that there were no casualties and that people got out of the plane by using the emergency slide. Videos of passengers exiting the plane on the slide has gone viral on social media.

The flight was on its way to Peshawar and had taken off from Saudi capital Riyadh. The Saudi Airlines issued a statement soon after saying that the plane “experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan”.

“Saudia clarifies that its aircraft, flying from Riyadh to Peshawar on flight SV792, experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan,” it said.

“The aircraft was immediately stopped and the relevant authorities were notified. All guests and crew were safely evacuated through the evacuation slide. The aircraft is now undergoing technical evaluation by specialists,” it further added.

According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), air traffic controllers observed smoke and sparks coming from the left-side landing gear of the aircraft during landing. They immediately alerted the pilots and notified the airport’s fire and rescue services.

“The fire tenders acted in time and immediately controlled the fire in the landing gear, saving the aircraft from a major accident. All 276 passengers and 21 crew members were safely evacuated with an inflatable slide,” PCAA spokesperson Saifullah was quoted as saying by the Dawn. He added that fire vehicles were able to extinguish the flames that engulfed the landing gear.