Several deaths have been reported at Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan, where hundreds of people have tried to force their way onto aircraft leaving the capital.
International news site Reuters reported that one witness had seen the bodies of five people taken to a vehicle, although it was unclear whether they had been killed by gunshots or a stampede.
After taking control of the airport to evacuate staff and allies earlier today (August 16), US troops were forced to fire gunshots into the air to scatter gathering crowds.
A report by the BBC has indicated that the US Army’s acquisition of the airport has led to the suspension of several commercial flights, stranding hundreds of Afghans and other foreign nationals.
Images shared across social media have shown hundreds of desperate Afghans swarming passenger boarding bridges and even running alongside and holding onto the exterior of aircraft. Unconfirmed footage from the Daily Express even appears to show stowaways falling from a plane.
Many Afghan citizens are attempting to leave the country after Taliban forces declared victory yesterday, having rapidly advanced through the country’s major cities, resulting in Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing abroad.
