Video shows World Cup team's plane engine burst into flames
MOSCOW -- An engine burst into flames during the landing of a Russian plane carrying the Saudi Arabian soccer team to a World Cup host city, but nobody was hurt, officials said Tuesday. Russia's federal agency for air traffic said in a statement that the Airbus airplane flying from St. Petersburg to the southern city of Rostov-on-Don landed safely Monday evening and no emergency procedures were required.
The aircraft landed with both of its engines working and the passengers disembarked normally, the agency's statement said. An investigation into the incident has begun.
Rossiya Airlines, the flight's operator, said that the malfunction was likely caused by a bird strike.
"The A319 landed using two engines. The passengers' safety was never compromised," Rossiya said in a statement. "The airplane landed normally, the airport did not declare a state of emergency."
A video posted on the Twitter page of Saudi sports website NSports24 shows flames shooting out the back of the engine during the flight. It was unclear whether the video was taken by one of the team members, but it was shot from inside the aircraft. From the audio, it appears the passengers remained calm during the ordeal.
Saudi Arabia plays Uruguay in Rostov-on-Don on Wednesday. Russia is hosting the World Cup in 11 cities.
