Sylvie Claire / August 18, 2021
A C-17 was yesterday invaded by Afghans who did not hesitate to board the aircraft from the tarmac to save their lives. The U.S. Air Force will review all the videos circulating on social networks of a C-17 transport plane that hundreds of people had chased, some madly trying to cling to its sides or wheels. Another video showed the same aircraft in flight over Kabul, and what appeared to be two people falling through the air.
In addition to videos posted online and press reports of people falling from the aircraft on departure, human remains were found in the landing gear of the C-17 when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, said U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. The investigation will be thorough to allow us to obtain all the facts about this tragic incident, she added in a statement.
The spokeswoman did not give a total death toll, nor did she confirm reports that one person was crushed under the wheels of the aircraft before takeoff.
The C-17 had just landed and was loaded with equipment for U.S. military reinforcements sent to Kabul to secure civilian evacuations. Before the crew could unload the plane, it was surrounded by hundreds of Afghans who had invaded the tarmac after breaking through airport security, the spokeswoman said. Faced with a rapidly deteriorating situation around the plane, the crew decided to leave as quickly as possible.