THIS is the terrifying moment panicked passengers were forced to evacuate after an aircraft was engulfed in smoke.
DRAMATIC footage shows the horror ordeal at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo.
Smoke appears to billow from the aircraft and a huge blaze of fire could be seen coming from the bottom of the plane.
Travellers were visibly panicked inside the aircraft as they attempted to flee, pushing their way to the exits.
Screams of terror could be heard as employees appeared to guide passengers to escape routes.
Some passengers noticed the smoking scene through the plane windows, sparking chaos.
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Passengers on a Latam airlines flight were urgently evacuated when the fire broke out on a baggage conveyor belt.
The belt was being used to transport passengers baggage into the hold before it burst into flames.
Later, the local Fire and Rescue Service appeared on camera lifting the conveyor belt away from the scene.
Latam said: “There was a small fire in ground equipment belonging to a third-party company responsible for loading cargo for the flight.”
The incident was sparked on Thursday evening as flight LA3418 was boarding passengers inbound for Porto Alegre.
Latam, a Brazilian airline, added: “The smoke generated from the equipment triggered safety protocols.
“Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft via the boarding bridge and the escape slide, all with the assistance of employees trained for this type of situation.”
Earlier this year, more than 150 terrified passengers scrambled to evacuate a flight after a “possible landing gear incident” started a fire.
Passengers were seen in footage emerging from the smoke, looking visibly shaken with fear.
In July, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 suffered a “maintenance issue” as it was due to take off for Miami.
Passengers were filmed fleeing the smoking plane on its inflatable slides as smoke continued to engulf the scene.
“Flight 2023, you got a lot of smoke,” an air traffic controller tells the pilot in cockpit audio from Live ATC, 9News has reported.
“There was some flames. Looks like the smoke is dying down a bit,” they add.
But then the controller says: “You are actually on fire.”
According to CNN, the 173 passengers and six crew members were spooked when they heard a loud bang and spotted flames.
They were then evacuated from the flight.