LOS ANGELES – A Delta Boeing 777 had to return to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Tuesday, due to engine issues. The aircraft first dumped kerosene over southeast Los Angeles to reach a safe landing weight for the emergency landing, sickening dozens of schoolkids and adults. 56 people were slightly injured, but could be treated with soap and water.

The Delta Airlines Boeing 777-232(ER) with registration N860DA just took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 11:32 AM local time and was en route to Shanghai, when an engine problem was discovered. The pilot wanted to make an emergency landing, but to be able to do that safely, he first had to dump a lot of kerosene to reduce the aircraft’s weight.

This a standard procedure when a plane has to make an emergency landing just after takeoff, due to a large amount of fuel on board.

A large part of the kerosene ended up on 6 schools, including 5 primary schools. Cudahy’s Park Avenue Elementary was one of those schools, where many students saw it happen. “He was very close,” says one of the children, who was outside with classmates for a gym class. “There was a bad smell in the air.”

“Water drops came down”, another student said. “I thought it was rain, but when I looked up, it turned out to be fuel.”

After the passenger aircraft dumped enough fuel, Flight DL89 returned safely to LAX, just before noon.

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(Head image: YouTube / Bro vs. Sis)