A hydraulic malfunction on a British Airways Airbus A319 at Stuttgart Airport caused a fire in the cargo hold due to an oil leak during boarding.

Five ground handlers were injured, with four hospitalized because of exposure to non-flammable hydraulic oil.

Emergency response teams, including 33 vehicles, quickly extinguished the fire.

The aircraft was able to return to London later that evening despite the incident.

Air traffic operations remained unaffected despite the flight cancellation.

This incident follows a recent emergency involving a Ryanair flight.