**DUBAI** — An Emirates flight from India crash-landed Wednesday at Dubai International Airport with 300 people on board. All passengers and crew survived. One firefighter was killed responding to the blaze that followed.
Emirates Flight EK521, a Boeing 777 arriving from Thiruvananthapuram, came down at 12:45 p.m. local time. Airline Chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the 282 passengers and 18 crew members were safely accounted for. Ten people were hospitalized.
The aircraft caught fire after impact. Social media posts showed smoke rising from the runway and images of the jet burning on the tarmac. Passenger Iype Vallikadan told the Associated Press the pilot had warned of a landing-gear problem and said the plane would make an emergency landing. After touchdown, cabin crew opened the emergency exits and completed the evacuation within minutes, AP reported.
Emirates said six Americans were among those on board, along with 226 people from India, 24 from Britain, 11 from the United Arab Emirates, six from Saudi Arabia, five from Turkey and four from Ireland. Smaller groups came from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand and several other countries.
Sheikh Ahmed later said there were indications of wind shear — a sudden downdraft — during the approach, though it was not immediately clear whether that contributed to the accident. The airline released no further operational details.
Boeing said a technical team was prepared to assist the investigation with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Saif Mohamed Al Suwaidi, director general of Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority, said investigators had been activated and were working with Emirates and the airport. “Our primary concern at this moment is the safety and well-being of all passengers and cabin crew,” he said.
Founded in 1985, Emirates has long been regarded as having a strong safety record. Dubai International Airport, the region’s busiest hub, handled 78 million passengers last year. Officials said other flights were delayed by about six hours and that operations resumed shortly before 7 p.m. local time.
