Bear Escapes Crate on Flight to Dubai

Iraqi Airways issued an apology after a bear escaped from a container in the cargo hold of a flight from Baghdad to Dubai.

On Friday, a video taken by a passenger on the flight went viral on social media.

A male passenger can be heard in the video describing that their aircraft was delayed for more than an hour owing to an unexpected reason - a bear discovered in the cargo hold.

Iraqi Airways apologized for the incident, saying the bear was being transported "following all internationally approved procedures with this type of shipment, represented by allocating cages according to the terms of the Cites agreement for animal crate approved by IATA".

It went on to state that when the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, "it was found that the animal had left the box designated for its transportation, which necessitated the flight crew to coordinate with the UAE authorities, who immediately sent a specialized team to anaesthetize the animal and transport it out of the plane".

No damage or injuries reported from the incident.

There was no further information supplied about why the bear was on the plane or where it was going.