Air Mauritius flight catches fire while taking off in India, 241 passengers
safely evacuated
NEW DELHI (AP) _ A plane taking off from New Delhi's main airport caught fire
forcing all 241 passengers to escape through the emergency exit, according to
media reports Friday. The Air Mauritius pilot braked when a bird apparently hit
the plane, sparking a fire that spread to the jetliner's undercarriage, the
Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
Rescue workers and firefighters rushed to evacuate the plane and put out the
blaze Thursday afternoon. All 241 passengers and 11 crew members on the New
Delhi to Mauritius flight escaped safely through the emergency exit, though the
chaotic scene caused some to panic, newspapers reported.
"The children were crying and the elderly were finding it difficult to get out
of the plane," Rahul Gautam, an insurance salesman who was on the flight, told
the Hindustan Times. Airport and Air Mauritius officials could not be
immediately reached for comment.
Wildlife seeking refuge often delay flights in New Delhi, especially during the
monsoon season, which hits New Delhi between June and September. Last month,
jackals, monitor lizards and raptors drying off on the airport's runway forced
authorities to briefly delay all incoming and outgoing flights.

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