Major airport emergency exercise held

A major airport emergency exercise was held this morning, with rescuers taking part in two simulated scenarios.

The first exercise simulated an emergency caused when an aircraft suffered a partial undercarriage failure on landing. The 'incident' left one person dead and 11 injured. Some passengers tried to escape from the aircraft while others were trapped and needed to be rescued. The fuselage was filled with smoke and visibility was minimal.

The second scenario saw dangerous cargo catch fire on board an aircraft. The cargo aircraft broke in half as it was engulfed in flames, killing three crew members.

Airport fire crews were backed by the fire department of the Civil Protection Department as they rescued the passengers from an old BAC 1-11 aircraft, which was simulating the aircraft with the damaged undercarriage.

Ambulance crews from Mater Dei Hospital also raced to the scene.

In the second scenario, firemen and CPD personnel trained in dealing with hazardous material approach and removed the dangerous burning cargo. In this case the men are wearing full protective clothing and breathing equipment.

The exercise also involved the AFM, the Civil Aviation Directorate, the police, Malta Red Cross, St John Rescue Corps, Malta Air Traffic Services, the DOI, Emirates, Lufthansa and Air Malta.