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This is the dramatic moment an Aer Lingus plane caught fire on the runway in Orlando International Airport, seriously injuring two people.

Aer Lingus flight EI120 was due to fly from Orlando to Dublin last Thursday evening when a piece of ground service equipment went on fire, damaging the Airbus A330-200 cargo hold.

Some 193 passengers were left stranded and faced an anxious wait as the state braced itself for Hurricane Matthew to hit.

Two baggage handlers, Kevin Charles and Alexix Salgado, were seriously injured after becoming engulfed in flames.

(Image: Transport Workers Union)

They sustained life-altering first, second and third degree burns, while one of the men broke his leg while jumping to safety.

The Transport Workers Union in America have launched an online fundraising campaign to raise money to support their two injured colleagues.

So far, more than €2,000 has been raised.

Aer Lingus said passengers were accommodated at the Ramada and Marriott hotels and Westgate Lake Resort while a rescheduled flight was arranged.

Monaghan-born musician Colin Boylan - who performs under the name Sunburnt Jets - was among those caught up in the chaos.

He told his Twitter followers: “We were literally all about to board smiling and excited them panic of people running screaming and smoke from our plane.

“I never want to experience drama like that in an airport again. I’m safe anyway and in nice hotel.”

Orlando Airport grounded all of their commercial flights following the incident for a number of days due to safety fears over the deadly Hurricane Matthew.

Flights have since returned to normal.

The category four storm unleashed torrential rains and damaging winds in Florida before churning slowly north to soak coastal Georgia and the Carolinas.

It is believed to have killed up to 900 people so far.

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