Human remains were found in the wheels of the United States’ C-17 cargo plane that took off from Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, according to media reports citing statements from the United States Air Force.

The plane was swarmed while taking off from the airport by hundreds of Afghan people who were trying to flee the war-torn country after the Taliban took control on Sunday.

The United States Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations did not reveal how many people were killed in the incident. However, the authority announced that the human remains were found after the cargo aircraft was wheels down in al-Udeid Air Base in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The Air Force said the C-17 Globemaster III had landed at Kabul airport to deliver equipment for the evacuation effort of the United States forces. However, before the aircraft’s crew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the security perimeter, according to reports from the news agency Associated Press.

Saying that the security situation at the airstrip of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport was deteriorating, the crew decided to flee the area.

The Office of Special Investigations also announced on Tuesday that the incident, which has reportedly claimed multiple lives, was being probed by the authorities.

In a video that has been widely shared on social media platforms, a parked aircraft can be seen surrounded by people jostling to board the cabin via a ladder connected to the front door. A number of other people can be seen walking around the tarmac, as though having given up all hopes of making it out of the country.

The United States has deployed 6,000 troops to secure the airport in order to ensure people, including its embassy personnel and citizens, can safely depart the war-torn country.

(With inputs from Associated Press)