Several dead reported at Kabul airport amid evacuations

At least five people have reportedly been killed at the airport in Kabul as thousands seek to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

Multiple witnesses told Reuters that at least five people at the Kabul airport died, though it is unclear if they had been shot or were killed in a stampede amid the chaos. Reuters reports that U.S. troops fired shots into the air to prevent people from attempting to force their way onto military flights meant for U.S. diplomats.

Videos posted on social media show hundreds of people attempting to board planes, running on the tarmac and clinging to a U.S. military aircraft as it attempted to take off. Commercial flights through Afghanistan have been cut off, with many airlines announcing that they would be rerouting flights to avoid the country’s airspace.

Video: People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off. pic.twitter.com/9qA36HS0WQ

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The U.S. has around 6,000 troops in Afghanistan to aid in the evacuation of American embassy workers and Afghans, with the State Department announcing on Sunday that the evacuation of U.S. personnel had been completed.

Members of the international community released a joint statement on Sunday calling for the safe evacuation of foreign national and Afghans.

“Given the deteriorating security situation, we support, are working to secure, and call on all parties to respect and facilitate, the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country,” read a statement released by dozens of nations in response to the fall of the Afghan government.

“Those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility—and accountability—for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order,” they added.