Forty-one people, including at least two children, were killed after a Russian passenger plane erupted in a huge ball of fire and black smoke following an emergency landing at Moscow's busiest airport.
Dramatic footage that went viral on social media showed Aeroflot's Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crash-landing and then speeding along the runway at Sheremetyevo international airport on Sunday, flames pouring from its fuselage.
Passengers could be seen leaping onto an inflatable slide at the front and running from the blazing plane as huge black columns of smoke billowed into the sky.
Investigators said 41 people had died. "There were 78 people including crew members on board the plane," which was bound for the northwestern city of Murmansk, Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.
"According to the updated info which the investigation has as of now, 37 people survived."
Eleven people were injured, the Moscow region's health minister said earlier in the day.
Witness Alyona Osokina said she was inside the terminal when she suddenly saw a plane on fire rushing along the runway.
Ms Osokina said that fire engines had arrived quickly but could not immediately put out the blaze.
"This horror and tragedy happened before our eyes," she said, adding that those who managed to flee the plane then walked towards the airport.
BREAKING: Panicked passengers rushing to evacuate a burning Aeroflot plane at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after the Sukhoi Superjet-100 made a mind-blowing fiery crash-landing from the second attempt. Injuries reported. Video Via @bazabazon pic.twitter.com/Fa5UAUEHop
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 5 May 2019
The jet -- carrying 73 passengers and five crew members -- left Sheremetyevo at 6.02pm (10pm Sunday Bangkok time), and the crew issued a distress signal shortly afterwards, officials said.
"After the take-off, the crew reported an anomaly and decided to come back to the departure airport. At 6.30pm, the aircraft made an emergency landing," the airport said in a statement.
The jet reportedly managed to land on its second attempt, hitting the ground with its landing gear first and then its nose.
Investigators said they were looking into various lines of inquiry and it was too soon to draw any conclusions about the cause of the accident.
New footage of Aeroflot #SU1492 footage shows the Sukhoi Superjet 100 bounced on landing, with a second impact causing the landing gear to collapse + fire pic.twitter.com/2sP0MABan5
— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) 6 May 2019
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