In a shocking video, two people who tied themselves to an airplane wheel were seen falling from it as the aircraft takes off from Kabul airport.
At least five people have been killed at the Kabul airport and three stowaways were reported to have fallen to their deaths from an airborne plane as thousands of Afghans are desperately trying to get on flights out of the country, reports said.
However, footage published by Asvaka showed three stowaways falling to the deaths after clinging on to the wheels of a military plane as it took off from Kabul airport.
Other videos showed hundreds of people running alongside, and in front of, a US Air Force plane preparing to take off, reported IANS quoting a Daily Mail report. No official comment has been made so far.
Unbelievable and tragic, two people who tied themselves to an airplane wheel falling from high as the aircraft takes off.#Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/MW73mFw9wh
— Fared Al Mahlool (@FARED_ALHOR) August 16, 2021
Otherwise, all commercial flights from the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Kabul have been cancelled in the wake of Taliban takeover triggering widespread chaos, said a statement of Afghanistan's civil aviation authority released on Monday.
"All the flights from Kabul airport have been temporarily cancelled and the passengers should not come to the airport until informed," the statement said.
Flights cancelled
The cancellation of the flights took place in the wake of Kabul's fall to the Taliban on Sunday and the mass migration of Afghans amid fear, reports Xinhua news agency.
The civil aviation authority in the statement expressed hope for early restoration of normalcy, noting that the massive rushing of passengers to the airport in the chaotic situation could lead to looting and other disorderly situation.
The civil aviation authority has been trying to resume the flights as soon as possible, the statement said. Taliban meanwhile in a statement told Kabul residents that their lives and properties are safe and they can carry on their works.
At least five people have been killed at the Kabul airport and three stowaways were reported to have fallen to their deaths from an airborne plane as thousands of Afghans are desperately trying to get on flights out of the country amid increasingly chaotic scenes, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
US troops fired shots in the air at the Hamid Karzai International Airport to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac after they took over Afghanistan's air traffic control.
Witnesses said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede.
Footage published by Asvaka showed three stowaways falling to the deaths after clinging on to the wheels of a military plane as it took off from Kabul airport.
Panicked Afghans were also seen climbing up the outside of an airbridge in a bid to get onboard planes and chasing a US military C-17 down the runway.
Videos also showed hundreds of people running alongside, and in front of, a US Air Force plane preparing to take off, the Daily Mail report said.
All commercial services have been suspended, with only military flights leaving the country as the UK, US and other western countries repatriate their citizens.
It comes as the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the first British nationals had landed at the RAF base Brize Norton after being evacuated from Kabul.
The Taliban swept into the capital on Sunday after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the country.
(Developing story)
(With inputs from IANS)
