Published on August 26, 2010 by Cocorioko News   ·   2 Comments

A airliner that left  Sierra Leone’s Lungi International Airport with 110 passengers onboard bound  for London caught fire at midair yesterday but disaster was averted when the plane made an emergency landing at the Nouachott International Airport in Mauritania. The Boeing 757 ,operated by a subsidiary of BMI , was thousands of feet up in the sky when fire broke out in one of its engines. The pilot immediately sent out a distress call , seeking permission to land at Nouachott.

The plane made a safe landing and passengers were evacuated to the airport terminal while firefighters fought to put out the flame.

All the passengers disembarked without injuries.

It was not immediately known how many Sierra Leoneans were onboard but flights to London often have a good number of Sierra Leoneans heading out for their Summer vacation.

BMI  has already despatched a replacement Airbus A 321 to complete the flight for the passengers.