Plane makes emergency evacuation after smoke fills cabin

A flight bound for South Carolina made an emergency evacuation after smoke filled the cabin shortly after takeoff.  

ABC News and CNN reported Delta that Flight 876, which was traveling from Atlanta, Georgia to Columbia, South Carolina on Monday, Feb. 24 was forced to turn around after haze or smoke was observed inside the cabin. 

"The crew reported possible smoke in the flight deck,” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told ABC.

CNN reported that passengers recalled seeing the smoke five to ten minutes after taking off at 9 a.m., which made it “hard to breathe at times.” 

“A few of us passengers started to question why or what was going on. People started screaming ‘smoke, smoke, smoke,’” Kristin Morris, one of the passengers, told CNN. “We were in the air for about 20 minutes, and it seemed to take a while before we landed.”

The plane safely returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. With the assistance of Atlanta Fire Rescue, all 94 passengers, two pilots, and three cabin crew members were able to deplane via slides. 

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience," a Delta spokesperson said, per ABC. 

The FAA is currently investigating the incident. 

This comes after a Delta Air Lines jet with 80 people onboard crash-landed Tuesday, Feb. 18 (Philippine time) at the Toronto airport, officials said, flipping upside down and leaving at least 15 people injured but causing no fatalities. (with reports from AFP)