Desperate Afghans clung to plane fall from sky as flight takes off from Kabul
Byhindustantimes.com | Written by Amit Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Aug 16, 2021 04:44 PM IST
Kabul is in chaos since the Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital on Sunday. The country's Western-trained security forces collapsed or fled in the face of an insurgent offensive. Thousands of residents have gathered at Kabul airport trying to leave the country.
As residents of Kabul try desperately to leave the capital city, some horrifying scenes were captured on camera. One such video showed Afghans who had clung on to the underbelly of a C-17 Globemaster falling from the plane on Monday.
The people are trying to leave Kabul, and Afghanistan, after insurgent group Taliban took control of the country, just weeks after launching an offensive in the wake of the withdrawal of US and Nato forces.
The video showed that Afghans, believed to be clinging on to the landing gear of C-17 transport plane, falling due to the huge G-force exerted during take-off.
"Locals near Kabul airport claim that three young men who were holding themselves tightly on to the tires of an airplane fell on top of people's houses. One of the locals confirmed this and said that the fall of these people made a loud and terrifying noise," tweeted local news agency Asvaka.
The people have gathered at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to seek an evacuation flight amid Taliban's takeover of the country. Five people were killed on Monday following gunfire at the passenger terminal of the airport.
US forces have taken control of the airport and had to fire in the air to stop the crowd from flooding the tarmac.
The airspace above Afghanistan has been closed, with the country's aviation authority issuing two NOTAMs or notices to airmen. United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic had already stopped using Afghanistan airspace on Sunday.
On Monday, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Taiwan's China Airlines, Air France KLM and Lufthansa followed suit. Air India too announced that it is not able to send flights to Kabul air the closure of the airspace.
The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday, completing the takeover of the country two decades after they were ousted by the US forces. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to the offensive which began just weeks ago. The country's Western-trained security forces collapsed or fled in the face of the Taliban offensive.