Panic as plane catches fire
25/07/2008 07:44  - (SA)  

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New Delhi - A plane taking off from New Delhi's main airport caught fire forcing all 241 passengers to escape through the emergency exit, according to media reports on Friday.

The Air Mauritius pilot braked when a bird apparently hit the plane, sparking a fire that spread to the jetliner's undercarriage, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.

Rescue workers and firefighters rushed to evacuate the plane and put out the blaze on Thursday afternoon.

All 241 passengers and 11 crew members on the New Delhi to Mauritius flight escaped safely through the emergency exit, though the chaotic scene caused some to panic, newspapers reported.

"The children were crying and the elderly were finding it difficult to get out of the plane," Rahul Gautam, an insurance salesman who was on the flight, told the Hindustan Times.

Airport and Air Mauritius officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Wildlife seeking refuge often delay flights in New Delhi, especially during the monsoon season, which hits New Delhi between June and September.

Last month, jackals, monitor lizards and raptors drying off on the airport's runway forced authorities to briefly delay all incoming and outgoing flights.

- AP

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