Firefighter dies as nearly 300 saved in Emirates crash at Dubai

Picture from Twitter

All 282 passengers and 12 crew escaped from the burning Flight EK521 that was returning to Dubai from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.
Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan, from Ras Al Khaimah died while putting out the flames after the jet crashed and burst into flames
Saif Al Suwaidi, director of General Civil Aviation Authority said the firefighter “lost his life while saving the lives of others.
"I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Al Suwaidi said.
GCAA accident investigators have begun an inquiry into the incident that happened at 12:25 local time.
226 of the 294 people aboard were Indian, according to Emirates, along with 24 Britons, and 11 people from the UAE.
Local sources suggest the pilots had instigated a go-around (aborted landing) but the aircraft touched down. There were unconfirmed eye witness reports that the landing gear collapsed or had not been lowered. Meteorological reports suggest there was a wind sheer warning for the airport.
The aircraft burst into flames on impact and billowing black smoke could be seen for miles around.
The Emirates cabin crew were praised for evacuating the aircraft so quickly which saved all 300 people onboard.

The accident led to the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from the busiest international airport in the world but within six hours aircraft began taking off and landing in Dubai again.
A large number of inbound flights were diverted to neighbouring Sharjah.
Ali Salim Al Midfa, chairman of the Sharjah Airport Authority, said: “A number of Emirates Airline flights were diverted to Sharjah International Airport and the airport is well prepared and equipped to handle extra arrivals to its daily quota. The airport is operating as normal, with all logistics in place and passengers being tended to and transported to Dubai by bus.”
Chief analyst Saj Ahmad from StrategicAero Research said: “While it is still too early to determine the sequence and cause that led to the Emirates Boeing 777-300 crash landing at Dubai International, the airline and staff must be commended for the due process and speed with which they managed to vacate the airplane ensure all passengers disembarked given the real-time situation unfolding.”

Flight Safety Foundation president and CEO Jon Beatty said: "Today's accident involving Emirates Flight 521 underscores the importance of emergency preparedness in flight crew and passenger evacuation, and in aircraft rescue and fire fighting, "We commend Emirates and its crew for its timely and professional response, which likely saved lives and prevented many injuries."

Emirates flights diverted to Sharjah Airport following the accident today.