40 people have been confirmed dead after an airplane of the Russian Aeroflot was forced to perform an emergency landing when the pilots found out that the plane caught fire during mid-flight
Officials said that the airplane caught fire while it was in the air, which resulted to make an emergency landing at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Russia.
37 people escaped the plane. But, a video that has surfed the internet recently suggests that many passengers of the plane delayed the emergency evacuation as they tried to pick up their hand luggage before heading out.
According to a news agency, “Many passengers delayed emergency evacuation – because against all instructions – they were picking up hand luggage from overhead compartments.”
The airline company released a statement, the company wrote, “The crew of the Aeroflot aircraft, which took off today from Moscow for Murmansk and was forced to return to Sheremetyevo airport due to technical reasons, did everything possible to save passengers. The aircraft was evacuated in 55 seconds, compared to the industry norm of 90 seconds. The captain was the last to leave the burning aircraft. Malfunctions on board the aircraft, which was operating flight SU1492 from Moscow to Murmansk, were detected shortly after takeoff.”
The company added, “The crew was forced to request an emergency return to the airport. The engines caught fire after landing at Sheremetyevo; the fire was swiftly extinguished. Passengers left the aircraft via the emergency exits. Emergency medical assistance is being provided to all those in need.”
Authorities have launched an investigation for the accident and to know how the fire broke out.
Svetlana Petrenko, the Investigative Committee spokeswoman said, “Investigators soon will begin interviewing victims, eyewitnesses, airport staff and the airline carrier, as well as other persons responsible for the operation of the aircraft.”
The airplane that was destroyed in the accident was only 1-year-old, and officials said that the crash occurred only twenty-seven minutes after the flight took off.
Aeroflot announced that they will fly out the relatives of the victims to Moscow for free so they could see their loved ones.
More news and updates about the incident are yet to be released.