**DUBAI** — All 300 people aboard an Emirates Boeing 777 survived a crash landing Wednesday at Dubai International Airport. One firefighter was killed battling the blaze that followed.
Flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, came down about 12:45 p.m. local time. Emirates Chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the 282 passengers and 18 crew members were accounted for after a rapid evacuation. Ten people were taken to hospitals. Officials later said dozens of occupants suffered injuries, most of them minor. The aircraft, registration A6-EMW, was destroyed by fire.
Video posted online showed smoke over the runway and 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 emergency exits and got people off within minutes, AP reported. Investigators later determined the crew attempted a go-around after a long landing; the jet struck the runway again and slid before the fire took hold. A center-wing-tank explosion occurred after the aircraft came to rest.
Emirates said six Americans were among those on board, along with 226 passengers 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 other countries. The pilots were Emirati and Australian, each with more than 7,000 flight hours, the airline said.
Sheikh Ahmed said there were indications of wind shear — a sudden change in wind — during the approach. It was not immediately clear what role that played. Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority activated investigators and said it was working with Emirates and the airport. Boeing said a technical team was ready to assist the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. “Our primary concern at this moment is the safety and well-being of all passengers and cabin crew,” GCAA Director General Saif Mohamed Al Suwaidi said.
The firefighter who died was identified as Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan, 27, of Ras Al Khaimah. Officials said he was killed while helping contain the fire. Several other firefighters were injured.
Founded in 1985, Emirates had not previously suffered a hull-loss accident. Dubai International, already among the world’s busiest hubs, handled tens of millions of passengers a year. Other flights were delayed about six hours. Officials said operations resumed shortly before 7 p.m. local time.
