LATEST: 15 passengers injured in Virgin Atlantic emergency landing
FIFTEEN passengers were injured, including a child, after a Virgin Atlantic flight made an emergency landing at Gatwick airport.
Flight VS27 to Orlando was forced to return to the airport 90 minutes into the flight when a fire broke out in the hold.
All 229 passengers and 13 crew onboard immediately evacuated the aircraft via the emergency chutes. During the evacuation, several passengers sustained injuries, according to Sky News. One child broke its leg and there were other suspected fractures to backs, ankles and ribs. All 15 were taken to hospital.
The Airbus 330 aircraft blocked the runway for more than an hour, causing 26 incoming flights to be diverted to Stansted and departing aircraft to be delayed. Nine flights were cancelled.
Virgin Atlantic issued a statement yesterday afternoon saying the pilot had decided to return to Gatwick as a "precautionary measure" due to a technical problem onboard the aicraft.
It is understood that a fire onboard was put out with hand-held fire extinguishers carried in the cabin.
Virgin president Richard Branson later tweeted his apologies to passengers, who he said were being looked after at Gatwick.
Passengers who were onboard at the time told the BBC they could smell fuel during the flight. One said there was "a lot of hysterical screaming" when passengers tried to evacuate the aircraft.
Gatwick airport said flights had resumed, but added that there still some knock-on delays this morning..
Friends and family wanting information about passengers on the aircraft should contact 0845 6070 999.
Diane
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