Saudi jet engine on fire after landing

A disaster was averted after Saudi fire men managed to control a blaze in the engine of a Saudi passenger aircraft just after it landed in the Gulf Kingdom on Saturday.

Cabin crew members and passengers stampeded when they heard the fire alarm minutes after the Boeing 777, which had taken off from the capital Riyadh, landed in the Western Red Sea port of Jeddah last night, Sabq newspaper reported.

Civil defence, police and medical teams rushed to the runway after the pilot radioed the airport about the fire in the plane’s left engine.

The paper said no one was hurt in the incident but added it had caused panic among the passengers, who included Saudi officials. It did not identify those officials nor did it specify the number of the passengers aboard the Saudia Airways flight 1047.

“There was a stampede inside the aircraft. The crew members just fled while the passengers stampeded and pushed each other to get out of the plane,” the paper said, quoting passenger Adel Al Omari.

“Many women and children were screaming and this aggravated the situation. It was clear there was no emergency plan for such an incident.”

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