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Update 5: Emirates plane crash-lands at Dubai int'l airport, all 300 aboard "safely evacuated"

Xinhua, August 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

All 282 passengers and 18 crew members aboard an Emirates Airline plane that crash-landed on Monday at Dubai International Airport have been safely evacuated, Dubai authorities said.

A fire breaking out on the Boeing 777-300 were put out at 14:32 local time (1032 GMT), the government-run Dubai Media Office said.

The plane, flying from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai, was involved in "an incident" at the Dubai airport at 12:45 local time (0845 GMT), Emirates said on its Twitter account.

There was some confusion over the number of people aboard Flight EK521. Earlier reports put the total at 275.

The passengers come from 20 countries, including 224 from India, 24 from Britain, and 11 from the UAE, the Emirates said.

Dubai-based TV channel Al Arabiya said the crash-landing site was not on the main runway.

According to local daily Gulf News, the Boeing 777-300 was delivered to Emirates in March 2003.

All departure flights from Dubai have been delayed until further notice, and some flights coming to Dubai International were diverted to Dubai's second air hub, Al Maktoum International Airport.

Emirates uses Al Maktoum only for cargo flights but so far not for regular passenger flights.

Earlier incidents at Dubai airport included a crash on Sept. 3, 2010, of a UPS cargo jet shortly after take-off from Dubai, killing two on board.

The other one happened on March 12, 2007, involving a Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane at take-off, led to the injury of 14 passengers. The airport had to be closed off for eight hours. Endit