800 People Cram Into A US Air Force C-17 Leaving Afghanistan
Originally published on AeroXplorer
A USAF C-17A Globemaster III evacuated around 800 people on a single flight on Monday to Qatar. Photo: Joshua Seybert
Amidst chaotic scenes at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport (KBL), over 800 people have been evacuated from the war-torn city on one United States Air Force (USAF) C-17A flight to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. It is likely the most people ever carrier on a C-17. On Monday, the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III left Kabul for Qatar. According to reports, the crew fit around 800 people in the Globemaster’s cargo bay. Shortly after taking off, an orbiting KC-135R tanker refueled the aircraft.
Millions of people all over the world have closely watched a series of United States-led evacuation flights from Kabul. In scenes compared to the fall of Saigon 40 years ago, Taliban gunmen roamed Kabul’s Airport as desperate civilians stormed the apron and climbed onto departing planes.
Currently, flights to and from Kabul have been halted because of the situation at the airport. Late on Monday, scenes emerged of crowds running alongside taxiing aircraft. It has been reported that three Afghans holding on to the side of a USAF C-17 as it taxied across a runway were killed when they fell off and were run over. In addition, footage of people falling from the undercarriage of USAF aircraft after takeoff is circulating online.
Scenes at Kabul Airport on Monday, August 16. Photo: AFP
The 800 fortunate people on the Globemaster made it safely to Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha. The C-17A is designed to fly 134 military personnel and their equipment. However, reports suggest these people flew out with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. This flight will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest evacuation flights.
While the Taliban have taken Kabul, US forces are taking control of Kabul’s Airport. Approximately 2,500 US military personnel are securing the airport, with thousands more arriving in the following days. In addition to the United States, other countries are moving to evacuate their citizens and allied Afghans. Canada, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are just a few countries waiting for the security situation to improve at the airport. Amid an appalling situation in Kabul, the C-17 flight is a small piece of good news.
