Afghanistan: National youth team footballer Zaki Anwari 'dies in fall from plane' at Kabul airport

The 19-year-old national youth team footballer reportedly fell from a USAF Boeing C-17 on Monday after it took off from Kabul's international airport.

Thursday 19 August 2021 16:47, UK

An Afghan national youth team footballer has died in a fall from a US plane at Kabul airport, a local news agency has said.

Crowds of people seeking to flee Afghanistan have fled to the airport since the Taliban seized the capital on Sunday. In dramatic scenes, some tried to board a moving plane as it prepared to take off.

According to the Ariana football agency, national youth team footballer Zaki Anwari fell from a USAF Boeing C-17 on Monday.

His death has been confirmed by the General Directorate for Sport, the report said.

The report added that the 19-year-old is believed to have died after attempting to hold on to the outside of the American military aircraft.

The US Air Force said on Wednesday it was conducting a review of what happened as Afghan civilians ran alongside and around the aeroplane before it took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA).

The C-17 Globemaster, with a callsign Reach 871, was carrying some 640 Afghans, reportedly more than five times its suggested payload, after hundreds of desperate people flooded onto the plane.

A photo showing the Afghan civilians, crouching and crammed up against each other on the floor of the military plane, went viral on social media after Kabul was seized by Taliban insurgents.

US defence officials said the plane took off from the international airport in Afghanistan's capital city with what is believed to be the highest number of people ever flown in the C-17, a military cargo aircraft that has been used by the US and its allies for nearly 30 years.

It touched down safely in Qatar.

In a statement, the Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) said it was reviewing all available information regarding a C-17 aircraft, as well as the loss of civilian lives.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qNthLakb6Q
Kabul airport chaos as people cling to plane

"In addition to online videos and press reports of people falling from the aircraft on departure, human remains were discovered in the wheel well of the C-17 after it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar," it said.

OSI said its review will be "thorough to ensure we obtain the facts regarding this tragic incident", adding "our hearts go out to the families of the deceased".

The aircraft had landed in Kabul to deliver a load of equipment to support the evacuation of Afghan and American civilians from Afghanistan, but before the aircrew could offload the cargo, it was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the airport perimeter.


The air force said its crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible due to the rapidly deteriorating situation around the aircraft.

At least five people were killed during chaos on the ground, with US troops firing into the air to deter people trying to force their way onto flights evacuating diplomats and embassy staff.

https://news.sky.com/story/afghanistan-national-youth-team-footballer-zaki-anwari-dies-in-fall-from-plane-at-kabul-airport-12385326


Picture 1) It is believed more than 600 people were crammed onto the C-17 aircraft Pic: Defense One

Picture 2) People were seen clinging to planes taking off from the international airport in Kabul

Picture 3) According to the Ariana football agency, national youth team footballer Zaki Anwari fell from a USAF Boeing C-17 on Monday.

Picture 1) The BBC's Peter Okwoche.

Picture 2) Reactions to Peter Okwoche's tweet

Proximate cause of death = Foolishness.

1000 ways to die

Haa

Me that Loves life, if the Taliban like, the should come and take over Nigeria and see if I will Kill myself.

So sad. He feared the shariah system that Taliban would impose. Rest in peace.

The religion of tattered clothe with short trouser that keep fighting the ground.

ayourbamie:
1000 ways to die

No na dis one na 1 way to death.

Look at what religious extremists are causing.
A religion that its faithfuls are afraid of its full implementation.
Tufiakwa to such religion

Afghans are now seeing the harsh effect of their religion of piss

Sad

Damnnn niggar
No rest in peace for the idiot

Why the rush to leave the country
Like I will keep on saying
Why is the world making a big deal out of this taliban stuff
Why the panic
Why are people running helter-skelter

Not like Taliban are shooting and killing people

Taliban quest was to take over kabul. ....
It was done peacefully.....

If people are scared of the type of government or rules the taliban will impose on them...then they should wait until the enactment of such rules by the taliban

So Afghanistan even has a National team? The way the western media exaggirate things you'd think people dont live there, just terrorist battle field with no institutions.OH! they've even got a sport directorate

nonsense he deserves to die, long live Taliban, and we pray it is established in Nigeria tooo

Afghanistan is cursed!

The world is quietly watching them fall. No support or whatsoever..

Rather, the so called world power would channel her useless energy against countries developing their land with hi-tech. They don't want any other country to be like them..

Same way they watched when ENDSARS protesters were gruesomely murdered by the Nigerian government..

Shame on United States of Assholes!!!

The death of the young lad is regrettable, but the risk he took was uncalled for.

Western media is controlling the whole narrative, they have even taken away freedom of speech from Taliban so the world will be fed only the propaganda they dish out.

I see alot of people here on Nairaland who just flow with the popular opinion without thinking with their brains, even the people clamouring for a Jewish state in Nigeria are raising their ignorant voice against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The west have once again lost the war against a Conservative country, Afghanistan will be great with or without democracy!

This I have seen!

That's bad

Las Las education is not a scam

I'm yet to understand how you think it's possible to hang on an airplane on air

Wonderful

What a horrible death.

may his soul rest in peace

Oh no!

Chai. He must have really been terrified by stories he heard in how Taliban ruled back then. He could have just still stayed behind and see how it unfolds.

These people have an average iQ equal to that of a field mouse.

Now tell me how these goat shepherds with rusty AKs could defeat the most powerful military force the world has ever known?

Father Abraham, you no try at all

So sad!

I hope all those lucky ones inside the C-17 plane would not turn against their adopted country?

I don't know why they behave that way. You escape from the country with oppressive system and land in a country that offers you freedom. You still link up with the oppressive terrorists in the country that you ran away from to torment and terrorize the new country that offered you hope. See what some Syrian refugees are doing in Germany.

Where is Superman when you need him.

Quite an unfortunate event. I wonder what was going through his mind after he let go of the plane.