Maryland, October 17: A government aircraft carrying Melania Trump was forced to return to an air base in Maryland after smoke filled the cabin on Wednesday. After the plane returned to Joint Base Andrews, her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said, “Everyone is fine and everyone is safe”. Grisham added that the first lady’s team was “evaluating” whether to make other arrangements to travel to the event. Trump had been scheduled to visit a Philadelphia hospital and meet with families of children affected by exposure to opioids while in the womb.

According to reports, the aircraft carrying America’s first lady developed a 'mechanical' issue which caused the scare. No one was hurt in the incident, but, Melania didn't reach her destination. According to a report by Daily Mail UK, the Secret Service agents rushed into a morning flight and ran to the front of the aircraft. The plane, a C-32, the military's version of the Boeing 757-200, landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, she was quickly hustled off and into a waiting SUV. ‘I Really Don’t Care’ Jacket Had a Message, Says Melania Trump. 

The aircraft has seats for 45 people in First Class-style seats. The report further informs that the reporters used wet towels to cover their faces so they could breathe as the plane was covered with a thin layer of smoke. The aircraft crew was quoted in the report saying that a 'malfunctioning comms unit' was to blamed.

The first lady’s intended visit was to be one of the stops as she promotes her “Be Best” campaign that focuses on issues affecting children, including the importance of healthy pregnancies. Melania Trump Visits Immigrant Child Detention Centre in Texas, But Wears A ‘I don’t Care Jacket’. 

Earlier this month, Melania visited Ghana on the first leg of her maiden, solo tour of Africa that has been billed as a chance to carve her own diplomatic path. Reports inform that she met her Ghanaian counterpart Rebecca Akufo-Addo and a group of local schoolchildren in yellow and brown uniforms waving the US stars and stripes and the Ghanaian flag.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2018 08:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).