Norenko Mikhali/Twitter(MOSCOW) — A Russian passenger airliner was forced to make an emergency landing while on fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, turning into a fireball on the runway.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, the equivalent of the FBI, has confirmed that at least 1 person has died in the plane fire, though unofficial numbers are much higher. There are currently conflicting reports on the number of people of injured.
There were 73 passengers and 6 crew aboard the Sukhoi Superjet 100 that is operated by the Russian airline, Aeroflot. The plane took off from Moscow bound for the northern city of Murmansk, but was forced to turn back due to unspecified “technical reasons,” according to a statement from the airline, which added that the engine caught fire. Passengers evacuated using the aircraft’s emergency slides.
Firemen have extinguished the blaze, according to Russia’s emergencies ministry.
Video shot by Norenko Mikhail, a passenger of a different plane at the airport, shows the plane in flames with passengers running to safety.
The Investigative Committee has said it has opened a criminal probe to establish the cause of the crash.
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