The SUN, 3rd August 2016 – Twenty four British citizens were amongst the survivors when an Emirates jet exploded into a devastating fireball after crash-landing at Dubai International Airport.
All 300 on board walked away unharmed just seconds after being told there was a problem with the plane’s landing gear as it approached the runway.
Exclusive footage obtained by The Sun shows hundreds of passengers fleeing the burning plane as the blaze takes hold.
Firefighters raced to the scene as fire tore through the giant Boeing 777 when it crashed after flying in from Trivandrum, southern India.
More than half of the upper section of the plane appeared to have been completely destroyed during the inferno
Chilling images reveal the top of the aircraft – which was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew – was all but destroyed by the intense blaze.
Miraculously, all on board – including four Irish, six Americans and two Australians – were evacuated within 45 seconds before the inferno ripped through the plane’s cabin.
Inflatable escape slides could be seen dangling from the side of the aircraft.
One passenger said: “In no time the cabin was filled with smoke. There was no announcement.
“The emergency door was forced open. Many of us now feel we have breathing problems because of the smoke.”
Reports suggest the plane’s landing gear failed as it approached the runway, while other accounts describe a fire on board as flight EK521 was mid-air.
Horrifying images show the fuselage of the jet explode into a huge fireball after it came to rest on the runway.
UAE government officials confirmed all on board were safely evacuated after the crash at 12.45pm local time.
The plane’s captain is understood to have issued an emergency signal shortly before the plane landed following a three-hour flight.
The terrifying crash saw the busy international terminal immediately closed to both inbound and outbound flights.
Dubai Media Office tweeted: “All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far.
“Concerned Authorities at Dubai International Airport are dealing with the incident at the moment to ensure safety of all.”
One witness was Brit Chris Galusha, who landed on a different flight just minutes before the crash.
He tweeted: “I touched down about 25 minutes before this happened. Airport closed – delays of 4-5 hours!”
Praising the speedy rescue mission, he added: “Thank God everyone made it out safely. An excellent job by the Emirates flight crew.”
In one video posted online a British woman can be heard to gasp: “Are there people in that plane? Oh my god, the smoke’s getting darker.”
 

The Emirates jet was flying from Trivandrum in the southern Indian state of Kerala to wealthy Dubai

Dubai International Airport handled 78 million passengers last year

Dubai is one of the world’s busiest air hubs, with more than 78 million passengers using the airport last year