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TWENTY-four Brits were amongst the survivors when an Emirates jet exploded into a devastating fireball after crash-landing at Dubai International Airport.

All 300 on board walked away unharmed just seconds after being told there was a problem with the plane's landing gear as it approached the runway.

Exclusive footage obtained by The Sun shows hundreds of passengers fleeing the burning plane as the blaze takes hold.

Firefighters raced to the scene as fire tore through the giant Boeing 777 when it crashed after flying in from Trivandrum, southern India.

Footage caught the moment passengers fled the burning aircraft on the runway at Dubai International Airport
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Footage caught the moment passengers fled the burning aircraft on the runway at Dubai International AirportCredit: Danny Hayward
Emirates staff were able to evacuate all 300 passengers within seconds of the plane sliding to a halt
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Emirates staff were able to evacuate all 300 passengers within seconds of the plane sliding to a haltCredit: Danny Hayward
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Acrid smoke billowed from the badly-damaged Boeing 777 as firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control. No passengers were injured, local officials saidCredit: Al Arabiya
Horrifying images show the plane explode in a fireball after it came to rest on the runway following the crash
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Horrifying images show the plane explode in a fireball after it came to rest on the runway following the crashCredit: @shukla_tarun
The devastating damage to the aircraft's fuselage was revealed when fire crews were able to finally extinguish the blaze
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The devastating damage to the aircraft's fuselage was revealed when fire crews were able to finally extinguish the blazeCredit: EPA
More than half of the upper section of the plane appeared to have been completely destroyed during the inferno
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More than half of the upper section of the plane appeared to have been completely destroyed during the infernoCredit: EPA

Chilling images reveal the top of the aircraft - which was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew - was all but destroyed by the intense blaze.

Miraculously, all on board - including four Irish, six Americans and two Australians - were evacuated within 45 seconds before the inferno ripped through the plane's cabin.

Inflatable escape slides could be seen dangling from the side of the aircraft.

One passenger said: "In no time the cabin was filled with smoke. There was no announcement.

"The emergency door was forced open. Many of us now feel we have breathing problems because of the smoke."

Reports suggest the plane's landing gear failed as it approached the runway, while other accounts describe a fire on board as flight EK521 was mid-air.

Were you on board the plane? Get in touch with The Sun's news desk at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368

Horrifying images show the fuselage of the jet explode into a huge fireball after it came to rest on the runway.

UAE government officials confirmed all on board were safely evacuated after the crash at 12.45pm local time.

The plane's captain is understood to have issued an emergency signal shortly before the plane landed following a three-hour flight.

The terrifying crash saw the busy international terminal immediately closed to both inbound and outbound flights.

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Dubai Media Office tweeted: "All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far.

"Concerned Authorities at Dubai International Airport are dealing with the incident at the moment to ensure safety of all."

One witness was Brit Chris Galusha, who landed on a different flight just minutes before the crash.

He tweeted: "I touched down about 25 minutes before this happened. Airport closed - delays of 4-5 hours!"

Praising the speedy rescue mission, he added: "Thank God everyone made it out safely. An excellent job by the #Emirates flight crew."

In one video posted online a British woman can be heard to gasp: "Are there people in that plane? Oh my god, the smoke's getting darker."

COMPOSITE-DUBAI
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The Emirates jet was flying from Trivandrum in the southern Indian state of Kerala to wealthy Dubai
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Passengers posted images of the thick plume of smoke from the airport's terminal as firefighters raced to the sceneCredit: Twitter / @AlexInAir
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Dramatic images emerged from Dubai airport as thick black smoke could be seen emerging from the passenger jetCredit: Twitter / @AlexInAir
The plane had just landed in the emirate after starting its journey in the southern Indian city of Trivandrum
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The plane had just landed in the emirate after starting its journey in the southern Indian city of TrivandrumCredit: Flight Radar

It raises the prospect of severe travel delays for thousands of Brits.

The terminal is a key stop-off for passengers flying from Europe to the Far East and Australia.

An Emirates statement read: "[We] can confirm that today, 3rd August 2016, flight EK521 travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai has been involved in an accident at Dubai International Airport.

"Our main priority at this time is the safety and well-being of all involved and full co-operation is being extended to the authorities and emergency services managing the situation."

Of the 300 on board, 226 were Indian, 11 from the UAE, six from Saudi Arabia, five from Turkey with individual passengers from several other nations.

Dubai International Airport handled 78 million passengers last year - three million more than the UK's busiest airport, London Heathrow.

Emirates is one of the world's largest airlines, carrying 52 million passengers last year.

Dubai is one of the world's busiest air hubs, with more than 78 million passengers using the airport last year
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Dubai is one of the world's busiest air hubs, with more than 78 million passengers using the airport last yearCredit: Alamy

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