No fewer than 248 passengers narrowly escaped death on Friday night after a Qatar Airways aircraft developed a technical fault mid-air and was forced to make an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The Qatar Airways aircraft, which was fully laden with 248 passengers and 12 crew members, experienced an issue while in Nigerian airspace, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency. This led to distress alerts and a quick emergency reaction.
In a preliminary report obtained by sources, LASEMA stated that as soon as it received the distress call via its 767/112 toll-free emergency lines, it promptly activated the state’s emergency response plan.
Emergency landings are initiated when unplanned faults occur mid-flight. Through pilots’ distress signals to the control tower, such aircraft are guided to make a safe landing.
The report, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, stated that, “Following distress alerts received at the Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency promptly activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans.”
The Permanent Secretary informed the public that the agency was prepared to handle emergencies, pointing out that the prompt and well-coordinated response prevented what would have been a serious aviation catastrophe.
Witnesses at the airport recounted stressful moments as passengers on board the Qatar airways plane prepared for an unexpected landing while emergency personnel lined the runway.
According to LASEMA, the Qatar Airways aircraft had already made a forced landing because of technical difficulties when its Lagos Response Team arrived on the scene.
The report noted, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the immediate cause of the incident was technical issues suffered by the distressed aircraft.”
However, the agency praised the pilot for his skill in safely bringing the plane down when emergency workers were on “extreme high alert.”
“The pilot executed a safe landing on the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with LASEMA response teams and other emergency responders on standby,” the agency stated.
Meanwhile, the pilot and engineering team extensively inspected the aircraft after it landed before moving it to the apron for a more comprehensive examination and any required repairs. No injuries were reported, and every passenger was safely evacuated.
“All passengers of the distressed aircraft were evacuated safely, and no casualties were reported,” LASEMA confirmed.
The agency further said that despite the frightening incident, there was no significant damage to the aircraft.
Providing an update on the situation, LASEMA disclosed that the aircraft has since been secured and recovery operations concluded.
However, Qatar Airways was yet to respond to a message of enquiry sent to the country manager of the airline, Ken Chirchir, as of the time of filing this report.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
