A major air disaster was averted on Sunday evening after the tyres of a Max Air aircraft, conveying passengers from Yola, Adamawa State, burst into flames as soon as it landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Although there were no casualties, the terrifying occurrence terrified the onboard passengers, who broke out in frantic prayer.
Officials from the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire-fighting Service and other emergency responders met the problematic plane in Abuja, where they quickly extinguished the flames.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the airport was temporarily shut to flight operations to make room for the seamless evacuation of the aircraft from the tarmac.
Aviation Minister, Mr Hadi Sirika, in a tweet confirmed the removal of the airplane involved in the incident.
He said: ‘Following the temporary closure of Abuja Airport due to emergency landing by Max Air, I am happy to announce that the aircraft has been towed clear and we will open within an hour. Thanks for your patience & understanding. Well done our fire fighting team who quenched the fire & operations staff who towed the aircraft away’.
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Already, officials of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) have commenced full investigations into immediate and remote cause(s) of the incident.
Spokesman of NSIB, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, who confirmed the development to Daily Sun in a telephone conversation, assured that the reasons behind the incident will be unearthed so lessons could be learnt to forestall a reoccurrence.
He said: “Our officials are already on ground and have taken up the matter. The reasons for the incident will be determined and communicated to appropriate quarters accordingly. Unfortunately, I can’t give you all the details at this time”, he said.
Meanwhile, the former President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Mike Ogirima, who gave an account of the incident reportedly said that the incident occurred after takeoff at Yola Airport.