A Saudi Airlines plane with 297 aboard caught fire while landing at Peshawar airport in Pakistan on Thursday, Pakistan Observer reported. The incident occurred due to some issue in the landing gear, according to reports.
The passengers and the crew members were evacuated safely. No casualites have been reported so far. The jet was en route from Riyadh to Peshawar.
Saudi Airlines issued a statement saying that the aircraft “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,” the statement added.
In a post on X, Global Defense Insight uploaded pictures of parts of the plane that look visibly charred.
“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”, the post read.
“All 276 passengers and 21 crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft using the inflatable slide. The flight had originated from Riyadh for Peshawar”, it added.