Several dead in Kabul: USA investigate aircraft take-off incidents


As of: 08/18/2021 8:12 a.m.

When a US military machine took off, people clung to the plane, and several could have fallen to their deaths. A body was found in the landing gear shaft. The incidents are now being investigated.

The US Air Force has launched an investigation into the deadly chaos surrounding the departure of one of its planes at Kabul airport. The US Air Force announced.

A US Air Force plane took off from the Afghan capital’s airport on Monday, surrounded by hundreds of civilians on the tarmac. Pictures of the dramatic scene went around the world: A video showed how numerous people ran alongside the rolling US military machine. Some climbed onto the plane and clung to it.

Body found in the landing gear bay

The Air Force announced that after the plane landed in Qatar, a body had been discovered in the landing gear shaft. The machine remains on the ground for further investigations. Videos and posts from social media would also be included in the research.

Photographs that were supposed to show people falling from the military aircraft from great heights caused particular horror. It was suspected that they were hiding in the landing gear or were holding on. In its statement, the Air Force did not provide any information on whether people had actually fallen

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the investigators are currently evaluating video recordings that allegedly show how at least two Afghans fall from a US transport plane. All available information would be checked.

According to the US Air Force, the C-17 machine landed at the Afghan capital’s airport on Monday to deliver equipment for the evacuation operations there. Before the crew could unload the material, however, the plane was surrounded by hundreds of Afghans who broke security barriers. In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation, the crew decided to leave the tarmac as soon as possible.

The runway was later cleared by the US military so that machines from Germany, among others, could take off and land.

With information from Katrin Brand, ARD-Studio Washington



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