Saudi plane makes emergency landing, injuring 53

The Saudia aircraft was flying from Medina to Dhaka carrying 151 people on board

A Saudia plane with Indian Hajj pilgrims on board prepares to depart from Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on August 13, 2017. Sam Panthaky / AFP

Fifty-three people were injured when a Saudi airplane made an emergency landing at King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, aviation officials said on Tuesday.

The Saudia aircraft was flying from Madinah to Dhaka carrying 151 people on board — 141 passengers and 10 cabin crew — and it had to be diverted to Jeddah after it experienced a malfunction in the hydraulic system, according to the kingdom’s Aviation Investigation Bureau.

Footage posted online showed the plane leaving a trail of flame along the runaway as it skidded on its nose before screeching to a halt.

"The passengers were evacuated by emergency slides. Fifty-two of them were slightly injured, while one female passenger suffered a fracture during the evacuation and is now receiving treatment," the bureau said in a statement.

"AIB has launched an investigation into this accident."

The aircraft circled over Jeddah for several hours as its landing gear failed to drop, forcing the captain to make the emergency landing at 9.50pm on Monday.

In a similar incident in January 2014, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 767 jet made an emergency landing in Madinah, injuring 29 people, according to the aviation authority.