No fewer than 248 passengers narrowly escaped tragedy on Friday night after a Qatar Airways aircraft developed a technical fault mid-air, forcing an emergency landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The flight, which also carried 12 crew members, encountered the problem while within Nigerian airspace, prompting distress alerts and immediate mobilisation of emergency services.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that it activated the state’s emergency response plan as soon as the distress call was received via its 767/112 toll-free emergency lines. In a preliminary report obtained by PUNCH Online, the agency explained that pilots’ distress signals to the control tower guided the aircraft to a safe landing, preventing a potential disaster.
Eyewitnesses at the airport described tense moments as emergency responders lined the runway while passengers prepared for the unplanned landing. LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, reassured the public that the swift and coordinated response had averted what could have been a major aviation incident, highlighting the agency’s readiness to respond to emergencies.