Afghanistan war: Chaos at Kabul airport captured in satellite images

The crowds of thousands trying to flee Afghanistan and Taliban rule were so extensive that it could even be seen from space.

The chaos at Kabul’s airport and its surrounds, as thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country, was so extensive it could be seen from space.

The Taliban took less than two weeks to take control of Afghanistan, with the capital of Kabul falling late on Sunday night.

The rapid incursion of the militant group saw thousands of Afghans rushing to the Hamid Karzai International Airport to try and get a flight out of the country.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies revealed the scale of the crisis with thousands of people seen on the runway.

Another satellite image captured by Maxar Technologies showed a massive traffic jam near the airport with the photo appearing to show dozens of cars abandoned on the side of the road as people made the rest of the way on foot.

RELATED: Chaos at Kabul Airport as Afghans try to flee

Traffic jams near the airport were seen in this sattelite image. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

Crowds of people swarm the entrance of Hamid Karzai International airport. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

Evacuation flights from Kabul’s airport resumed following a day of chaos at the facility, when huge crowds ran onto the tarmac.

Some people were so desperate to leave that they clung to the fuselage of a US military plane as it rolled down the runway for takeoff.

The US military said it was investigating deaths associated with that flight, including human remains found in a wheel well.

A US Air Force cargo plane flew from the airport on Sunday night carrying more than five times its suggested load with 640 passengers.

The cargo plane had not been planning on carrying so many passengers however, hundreds of Afghans, cleared to evacuate, managed to pull themselves up onto the aircraft’s half-open ramp.

The C-17 flew to Qatar with hundreds of people. Picture: Captain Chris Herbert/US Airforce/AFP

Faced with either forcing the extra refugees off the aircraft or attempting to take off, “the crew made the decision to go”, an official told Defense One.

“Approximately 640 Afghan civilians disembarked the aircraft when it arrived at its destination,” another official said.

There were also horrific scenes at the airport as desperate refugees, unable to get inside the C-17 planes, instead clung to the wings and landing gear as the aircraft took off.

Footage from Kabul Airport showed at least two people falling to their death after the planes took off.

Senior US military officials told the Associated Press at least seven people were dead at the airport, including those who fell from the departing American military transport jet.

Shortly after the scenes from the runway emerged, footage showed Afghans clamouring onto the side of the C-17 and clinging on to its undercarriage as it struggled down the tarmac.