US Military Plane Carries Over 600 Afghans On Board, Crew Flies Despite Excess Load

US Military Cargo Plane Carries 5 Times Its Passenger Capacity As Afghans Flee Country

Scenes of utter chaos unfolding in Afghanistan recently have created ripples of shock and anxiety across the world. But for the locals, the only thought on their minds as the Taliban seized control of the country’s capital was “run”.

So when a United States (US) military cargo plane was in the midst of takeoff, the Afghans saw the half-open ramp as an opportunity for escape.

With no more than their loved ones by their side, they climbed on, in hopes of finding refuge in a safer place.

Photo of cargo plane overloaded with Afghans goes viral

Amidst the heartbreaking footage of scenes in Afghanistan, a poignant photo aboard a US military cargo plane captured the world’s attention.

Political scientist Ian Bremmer’s post alone garnered over 80,000 shares, as netizens confronted the Afghans’ harsh reality.

Squeezed in with barely a gap between them, Afghans of all ages sat and stood in the space meant to contain objects rather than people.

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Defense One, which first shared the image, noted that there were roughly 640 people on board.

According to The Australian, though the C-17, a massive cargo plane, can carry 77,564kg of cargo, it can only accommodate 134 soldiers.

This particular plane was thus carrying over 5 times its passenger capacity.

Crew had not intended to take on a large load

A defence official explained that the plane had not planned to carry such a large load.

But when the Afghans pulled themselves onto the half-open ramp, the crew couldn’t bear to force the refugees off.

Hence, they departed, safely evacuating all passengers later upon arriving in Qatar.

Apparently, the particular plane, using the call sign Reach 871, wasn’t the only one ferrying hundreds of Afghan refugees to safety.

Defense One reported that several flights had been able to take off with hundreds of people on board, some with even more than 640 passengers.

In a reply to a comment, Ian Bremmer acknowledged that these people were the luckier ones who managed or had the chance to escape.

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Even so, they left with nothing in the mad rush to save themselves and their families.

Bremmer also encouraged netizens to zoom in on the passengers’ faces, noting the overwhelming “emotions of our collective humanity”.

Pray for the safety of the people of Afghanistan

To see a nation in turmoil and its people desperately trying to stay alive is truly heartbreaking.

While we’re glad that many Afghans have made it to safety, our thoughts are with those still left behind.

We hope that they’ll find refuge somehow and that the situation in their country will stabilise.

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Featured image adapted from Defense One and Joseph Haboush on Twitter.