40 dead as Russian plane bursts into flames in emergency landing

At least 40 people died when an Aeroflot airliner burst into flames while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, officials said.

The Sukhoi SSJ100 operated by national airline Aeroflot had 73 passengers and five crew members on board when it touched down and sped down a runway spewing huge flames and black smoke.

Elena Markovskaya, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said early on Monday that 41 people were killed. But Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said later that 38 survived, implying the death toll was 40.

Video broadcast later on Russian television showed flames bursting from the jet’s underside as it lands and then bounces.

The plane apparently did not have time to jettison fuel before the emergency landing, news reports said.

Dailymail