At least thirteen people were killed when a Russian plane exploded into flames mid-air as it made an emergency landing at Moscow’s main international airport.
Two children are among those confirmed dead following the inferno on the Sukhoi Superjet at Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
Terrified passengers were seen fleeing the Russian national carrier Aeroflot plane as flames flared from the rear of the aircraft with 78 on board.
The Russian-built aircraft made an emergency landing soon after take-off from Russia’s capital to the Arctic city of Murmansk.
An airport official said that ‘many passengers delayed emergency evacuation – because against all instructions – they were picking up hand luggage from overhead compartments.’
Initial indications suggest an electrical fault might have caused the fire while the plane was in the air.
Interfax agency reported that the plane, a Russian-made Superjet-100, had just taken off from Sheremetyevo airport on a domestic route when the crew issued a distress signal.
‘It attempted an emergency landing but did not succeed the first time, and on the second time the landing gear hit (the ground), then the nose did, and it caught fire,’ a source said.
It reported that the tail was completely burned and said a rescue team was trying to find survivors in that part of the plane.
Ambulances were sent to the scene of the landing and the passengers were evacuated, with the airport now closed for arrivals and departures.
Interfax agency reported that the plane, a Russian-made Superjet-100, had just taken off from Sheremetyevo airport on a domestic route when the crew issued a distress signal.
‘It attempted an emergency landing but did not succeed the first time, and on the second time the landing gear hit (the ground), then the nose did, and it caught fire,’ a source said.
It reported that the tail was completely burned and said a rescue team was trying to find survivors in that part of the plane.
Ambulances were sent to the scene of the landing and the passengers were evacuated, with the airport now closed for arrivals and departures.
However, there were local reports of emergency services being refused access to the scene with paramedics held at checkpoints for up to seven minutes.
The airline said the number of victims was ‘being specified’ and that emergency medical care was being provided to the injured.
Footage showed a column of smoke towering over the plane. Other images showed the aircraft on fire as it attempted to land, then distraught passengers leaving by a forward door.
Video captured passengers leaping from the plane onto an inflatable slide from the front of the aircraft and staggering across tarmac and grass of the airport.
The stricken plane was clearly visible from the main terminals at the airport in the north of Moscow and a British Airways plane could be seen on the tarmac alongside it.
The crash landing was on the aircraft’s second approach for an emergency landing. The plane had registration number RA-89098
The remains of the Russian-made Superjet-100 at the landing strip of Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow following the fire
An emergency service car is parked at the entrance of Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday evening
Aircraft crew members leave the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. Several flights have been diverted to other Moscow airports or Nizhny Novgorod, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the Russian capitalTerrifying moment burning Russian aircraft makes emergency landing.
I managed to jump out. This was the 17.50 Moscow to Murmansk flight. Definitely not everyone managed to escape, huge condolences to families and friends.’
The plane is less than two-years-old. Its first flight was reported to be in June 2017.
Criminal investigators are examining the cause of the crash amid reports that an electrical fault had caused the inferno after take-off.
Other local reports suggest the plane had suffered ‘communications problems’ and the fire engulfed the Sukhoi as it returned to Moscow to land. There were also suggests that the plane had been hit by lightning, although there was no official confirmation.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also ordered a special committee to investigate the disaster, Ria Novosti agency reported.
Several flights have been diverted to other Moscow airports or Nizhny Novgorod, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the Russian capital.
The plane had registration number RA-89098. Flightradar24 tracking service showed that it made two circles around Moscow and landed after about 45 minutes.
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