‘Burning’ plane makes emergency landing at Russian airport: 13 killed

At least 13 people are reported dead after an Aeroflot plane was forced to make an emergency landing and burst into flames at Moscow’s major airport as passengers scrambled for safety.

The Russian Aeroflot plane caught fire mid-air and made an emergency landing at a Moscow airport, Russian news agencies report.

Television footage showed the Sukhoi Superjet-100 making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday (local time) with much of the rear part of the plane engulfed in flames.

Many passengers then escaped via the plane’s emergency slides that inflated after the hard landing.

Medical workers told the TASS news agency at least 13 people had been killed and that others remained unaccounted for.

Among the dead were two children, The Associated Press reported, citing investigators.

There were fears of more casualties on flight SU-1492 with footage showing it was engulfed in flames when it touched down in Moscow.

The Sukhoi-Superjet 100 had left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport at 5.50pm (10.50pm AEST) local time on Sunday, Russian news agencies said.

The one-year-old plane had been bound for the northern Russian city of Murmansk, but crashed 27 minutes after takeoff.

The Russian jet was forced to turn around when an electrical reportedly sparked a fire onboard.

Люди выпрыгивают по надувным трапам из горящего в Шереметьево самолета Sukhoi Superjet 100 pic.twitter.com/rswf7ktTAA

— Лента.ру (@lentaruofficial) May 5, 2019

Flightradar24, which tracks aircraft, reported that the jet circled Moscow twice before attempting to land.

There were said to be 73 passengers and five crew members on board.

Dramatic footage shows the aircraft attempting to land then bursting into flames.

The aircraft, which had a registration RA-89098, was severely damaged, with its tail almost destroyed.

Interfax news agency reported the tail was completely burned and said a rescue team was trying to find survivors in that part of the plane. The plane, a year-old Sukhoi Superjet, departed from Sheremetyevo for Murmansk but shortly after taking off requested an emergency landing because of fire, according to Russian state media.

The Flightradar24 tracking service showed the plane made two circles around Moscow and landed after about 45 minutes.

The Interfax agency reported that the plane, a Russian-made Superjet-100, had just taken off from Sheremetyevo on a domestic route when the crew issued a distress signal.