Ninety passengers on board an Aerocontractors Airlines’ plane coming from Port Harcourt escaped death on Sunday as the pilot made an emergency landing at
the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport , Lagos.
Shortly after touching down on the runway 18R-36L, the aircraft, a Boeing 737-500 series, was totally engulfed by a thick smoke as it taxied towards the
tarmac, according to airport officials.
The pilot quickly opened all the six doors, and passengers used the emergency slides to disembark from the aircraft, according to airport officials who
witnessed the incident.
Fire fighters from the Federal Airports of Nigeria were quickly mobilised to rescue the passengers being evacuated from the aircraft.
An official disclosed that a fire, discovered inside the cockpit of the Boeing plane, spread into the cabin deck and threw the entire cabin into
pandemonium as passengers scampered for safety mid air.
Rescue officials told our correspondent that six passengers and an infant that sustained injuries were rushed to the hospital.
Aero confirmed the incident. .
A statement by the airline read in part, ”An incident occured this evening on flight AJ 320 from Port Harcourt to Lagos when a smoke was detected in the
cabin. Aero was able to succesfully evacuate all 84 passengers, an infant and
five crew members as the B737-500 aircraft landed at the Murtala Mohammed
International airport, Lagos at 6.15 pm local time.”
The airline said its officials had been invited by officials of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities for an investigation into the cause of the incident.
It was learnt that the fire might have been caused by an electrical spark from the electronics system of the aircraft.
