An Air India Boeing 747-400 aircraft (registration VT-ESM) caught fire on a taxiway at Mumbai earlier today, prompting an emergency evacuation. According to news reports, Air India Flight AI 829 had just pushed back from the gate in preparation for departure on a scheduled flight to Riyadh when the number one engine caught fire. All sixteen crew members and 213 passengers safely evacuated the aircraft using emergency slides. News reports say that 21 individuals suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. The fire was said to have been quickly extinguished, but the aircraft incurred substantial damage.
Several news reports from India attribute the fire to a fuel leak. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an investigation of the accident.
Here is a news video, provided by iStream.in, showing Mumbai airport firefighters battling the blaze:
If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.
