A Maxi Air aircraft ferrying no fewer than 550 Niger State pilgrims who performed this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia skidded off the Minna International Airport runway.
NAN quotes an anonymous source as saying that the incident occurred around 5.00am on Saturday.
The source said the aircraft, a Boeing 744 marked 5N/DBK, developed a technical fault which resulted in its forced landing.
The source said the incident caused serious damage to one of the four engines of the aircraft.
The source also said the impact of the near crash caused damage to the tarmac.
The source further said the passengers were rushed out of the aircraft after it veered off the runway and halted.
“Nobody died…only God saved them from a terrible disaster.
“The fire…would have spread to all parts of the airport because we don’t have fire fighting vehicles in this airport,” the source added.
Spokeswoman for the Niger State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Ms. Hassana Isah, who confirmed the incident did not give further details.
She assured that the incident would not affect the return of the over 2, 000 pilgrims from the state who are still in Saudi Arabia.
