BEAR BEING TRANSPORTED ON IRAQI AIRWAYS FLIGHT ESCAPES CRATE BEFORE TAKEOFF

- Matt Case 

Passengers aboard an Iraqi Airways flight from Dubai to Baghdad experienced significant disruption when a bear managed to break free from its container in the aircraft's cargo area.

The unusual incident unfolded on Friday, resulting in the flight being grounded on the tarmac of Dubai International Airport. Animal experts were summoned to the scene to safely tranquilize and extract the unruly bear.

Footage shared by The National, a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, displayed the bear wandering within the plane's cargo compartment. A man was captured on video reaching into the hold and affectionately petting the sizable creature.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, an Iraqi Airways representative later verified to the Associated Press that the bear was indeed being transported to the Iraqi capital.