Conspiracy theorists think there’s a 9/11 reference on US evacuation flight that saw Afghan stowaways fall to deaths
A WILD conspiracy theory shared online claims a 9/11 reference can be seen on the US evacuation flight that saw Afghan stowaways fall to their deaths.
The C-17 jet seen in harrowing footage earlier this week has a tail number that reads in part "1109."
The two who died are believed to be aged 16 and 17 and a video posted later appeared to show residents collecting their bodies.
A RACE TO THE AIRPORT
In a bid to flee what they fear will be a return to the Taliban's brutal rule based on an extreme interpretation of Islam, people raced to the airport in a frantic bid to board flights.
In chaotic scenes echoing the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war, petrified men, women, and children were filmed trying to get on aircraft after the Taliban stormed the capital.
With civilian flights suspended, many turned US Air Force aircraft to try to get out of the country while they were operating.
The C-17 transporter - meant for 150 troops - took off with at least 640 on board after terrified locals flooded up the ramp.
Other images taken from the ground show stowaways clinging to the plane as it took off.
Separate footage shows Afghans running alongside a C-17 as it prepares to take off with around a dozen holding on to the wheel bay.
FLIGHTS SUSPENDED
Civilian flights had been suspended amid the chaos and the US military - which controls the airport - said military flights were halted as they re-established security and clear people from the airport.
At one stage, US Apache helicopter gunships were brought in to clear a path for the transport planes, swooping low to disperse people massed on the runway and firing warning shots.
One witness said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle at the airport.