As Emily Labs looked out from her plane to the tarmac at Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday afternoon, she witnessed the strangest sight.
Dozens, if not hundreds of people, could be seen running desperately as Labs’ Delta flight was touching down on the runway.
Within minutes, the plane's captain alerted passengers that a shooting had taken place inside the baggage claim area and that the people on the tarmac were fleeing for their lives.
“It was terrifying,” said Labs, from Menominee, Michigan.
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For the next eight hours, Labs and her fellow passengers sat inside the jet following their 3-hour flight from Detroit.
Labs said passengers were mostly patient and that the cabin broke out in laughter after somebody suggested, “Break out the liquor.”
Things got more difficult as the hours crawled by without any word when the passengers would be able to de-plane. After a while, food and water had run out and the toilets on the aircraft were backing up.
Finally, passengers were allowed to get off just before 9 p.m. It took another two-plus hours to transport Labs, her mother, niece and sister to Port Everglades where they spent the night sleeping on cots.
“I almost had a meltdown,” Labs said. “People were pushing each other to get on the bus. They were frantic to get out of this mess.”
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Labs was back at the airport Saturday trying to get back to Michigan after missing her scheduled cruise.
Despite Friday’s fright and hassle, Labs said she felt the situation at the airport and inside her plane were handled properly.
“They did everything right,” Labs said. “And I think they did they kept people safe.”
Even after passengers were able to depart, the ordeal wasn’t over. Terminals were empty and bags were scattered everywhere.
Hundreds of other people were trapped as security investigated the airport.
Airport officials had to sift through about 20,000 pieces of luggage to return to owners as the airport started to regain some normalcy.
Stranded passengers were transported from buses to Port Everglades, and cargo and general aviation (private planes and corporate jets) were able to resume operations at midnight. Members from First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale handed out food and water to displaced passengers as they got off the buses.
As police cruisers and SWAT vans departed, vacant terminals started to fill up with those searching for new connections. The baggage area on the ground floor of Terminal 2, where the shooting occurred, remained locked off.
– Hannah Winston contributed to this report.
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