Fire on plane: arsonist sets fires on Etihad Airways flight
- 10 years ago
Originally published on February 19, 2014
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A Etihad Airways flight EY461 traveling to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was diverted to Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday (February 17) after a series of fires were set on board the aircraft while the plane was in flight.
The Boeing 777-300ER departed from from Melbourne, Australia at around 11:19 p.m. on Monday. Passengers reported smelling smoke several hours into the flight, with at least one passenger reporting see a fire in one toilet and smoke billowing out from another.
"Flames were coming from the toilet and smoke filled the cabin," one passenger told news.com.au. "The arsonist first struck about 3 to 4 hours into flight, [when] we were over the sea. Most passengers were asleep and fairly unaware. It was extinguished and there was an announcement reminding us all smoking was strictly prohibited. [Airline staff] assumed that's what caused it," the woman said.
"The [second] fire was in the rear toilet, not far from where I was sitting. I could see the flames and cabin filled with smoke," she said. The witness said it took two fire extinguishers to put out the blaze.
An Etihad Airways spokesman said the captain took a ''precautionary measure'' to ''divert the aircraft'' to Jakarta to investigate the origin of the smoke, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The spokesman said once in Jakarta, local authorities and cabin crew conducted a security assessment of the plane and situation, and the flight resumed after the plane was declared safe.
However, another smoke alarm went off two hours before the plane was due to arrive in Abu Dhabi.
The Australian quoted a passenger as saying, "Following that we were asked not to leave our seats, could not use the toilet and no breakfast was served due to security issues. Therefore passengers had only had a muffin and one drink served in approximately a 12 hour period."
Upone arriving at Abu Dhabi Airport passengers and crew were interviewed by the local authorities and put through security check once more. Several people were detained for further questioning.
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A Etihad Airways flight EY461 traveling to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was diverted to Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday (February 17) after a series of fires were set on board the aircraft while the plane was in flight.
The Boeing 777-300ER departed from from Melbourne, Australia at around 11:19 p.m. on Monday. Passengers reported smelling smoke several hours into the flight, with at least one passenger reporting see a fire in one toilet and smoke billowing out from another.
"Flames were coming from the toilet and smoke filled the cabin," one passenger told news.com.au. "The arsonist first struck about 3 to 4 hours into flight, [when] we were over the sea. Most passengers were asleep and fairly unaware. It was extinguished and there was an announcement reminding us all smoking was strictly prohibited. [Airline staff] assumed that's what caused it," the woman said.
"The [second] fire was in the rear toilet, not far from where I was sitting. I could see the flames and cabin filled with smoke," she said. The witness said it took two fire extinguishers to put out the blaze.
An Etihad Airways spokesman said the captain took a ''precautionary measure'' to ''divert the aircraft'' to Jakarta to investigate the origin of the smoke, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The spokesman said once in Jakarta, local authorities and cabin crew conducted a security assessment of the plane and situation, and the flight resumed after the plane was declared safe.
However, another smoke alarm went off two hours before the plane was due to arrive in Abu Dhabi.
The Australian quoted a passenger as saying, "Following that we were asked not to leave our seats, could not use the toilet and no breakfast was served due to security issues. Therefore passengers had only had a muffin and one drink served in approximately a 12 hour period."
Upone arriving at Abu Dhabi Airport passengers and crew were interviewed by the local authorities and put through security check once more. Several people were detained for further questioning.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more!
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