Saudia denies reports on aircraft crash

Saudi Arabia’s official airlines, Saudia denied reports that one of its Boeing 747 aircraft has crashed in the Rub Al Khali (empty quarter) desert and that some passengers have died, local newspapers reported on Friday.

A Saudia official said he was reacting to reports circulated on Facebook, Twitter and other websites that the aircraft had crashed in the desert after one of its engines fell off during flight, the papers said.

“This is an incorrect rumor…there is no such accident because we can not hide a crash accident from the media,” said Waleed Al Aloumi, Saudia’s public relations deputy director. “The reports in some websites this week are totally baseless.”

Quoted by Saudi newspapers, Aloumi said one Saudia passenger aircraft overshot the runway and hit the sand in the western town of Madina nearly a year ago, adding that no passenger was hurt in that accident.

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