Fire breaks out on United Airlines Boeing plane forcing emergency landing

Hundreds of passengers were forced to evacuate a Boeing jet at Los Angeles International Airport after a fire in one of its engines mid-flight.

A United Airlines Flight 2127 ended in panic after a fire was spotted in one of the engines.

The Boeing Dreamliner 787 jet was on its way from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Newark Airport in New Jersey on Monday when the incident forced the plane to turn around.

Footage appears to show flames shooting out from the left engine mid-air, prompting the pilots to return to LA.

The plane, with 256 passengers and a 12-person crew, was met by the emergency services on the tarmac when it touched back down shortly after 11am yesterday.

Frightened passengers used the emergency slides to exit the aircraft.

Screams rang through the air as people ran away from the plane while firefighters approached it.

One passenger was heard shouting ‘holy s***’ as he and others fled on foot.

Francesca Nardelli, a passenger on another flight, told KTLA: ‘We didn’t know what was happening because there was no announcement, but it was definitely chaotic and scary.’

Another passenger on a different flight, Nanette Dib, said: ‘They told us that it was some kind of emergency, and that’s why we couldn’t get out of the plane straight away.

‘And then they said please close all the windows. I mean, maybe they didn’t want anyone to panic, so that’s why they didn’t say anything. And maybe we were safe and it definitely wasn’t our flight, so maybe it was a good thing they told us to close those windows.’

No injuries were reported.

Other flights and operations at LAX, the fifth busiest airport in the US, were briefly affected after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary ground stop, which has since been lifted, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A spokesperson for United said that all passengers exited the plane through slides and stairs, and the airline had helped to get all customers to their final destinations.

The incident comes as global aviation has been upended following the US-Israel attacks on Iran and its retaliation with airstrikes.

Several flights to popular destinations in the Middle East like Doha and Dubai have been axed from London airports, including Heathrow, after airspace closures in the area, while thousands of British people are stranded abroad.

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