Frightening footage has emerged showing passengers fleeing a Russian aircraft that combusted into flames on the Antalya Airport runway in Turkey on Sunday (Nov 24). The Russsian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 Passenger plane with 89 passengers and six crew members, operated by Azimuth Airline, was bound for Antalya from Sochi when it caught fire, allegedly due to a hard landing which damaged one of the engines. Although the fire spread quickly, there were no reports of injuries to anyone as authorities opened an investigation into the incident.
Antalya Governor's Office Deputy Suat Seyitoglu confirmed that the fire occurred during the landing but was swiftly contained by the first responders.
"All passengers were evacuated without injury, and thankfully, no one was harmed," Mr Seyitoglu told Turkiye Today.
Meanwhile, a ministry statement added: "A fire broke out in the engine of the SU95 type aircraft, registered RA89085, belonging to Azimuth Airlines, travelling from Sochi Airport in Russia to Antalya Airport, during landing. After landing at Antalya Airport at 21:34, an emergency call was made by the aircraft pilots due to the fire."
'Leave luggage'
In one of the videos going viral on social media, users pointed out that passengers were jeopardising their lives by taking their hand baggage while gliding down the emergency slide.
"In case of an evacuation you should leave your bags behind !!!!!!!! Oh lord, after I saw the passengers rolling their bags, I will not think about the chaos in the plane. This behavior kills people," said one user, while another added: "Anyone who takes their hand luggage with them in an emergency evacuation should be banned from flying for life."
A third commented: "And they all took their hand luggage with them. This is ridiculous."
Another footage showed the emergency units battling the fire with dark smoke and flames visible.
Watch: Passengers Fly Off Their Seats As Miami-Bound Flight Faces Severe Turbulence
Previous instance
This is not the first instance when a Superjet has caught fire upon landing. In 2019, Aeroflot flight SU1492 was struck by lightning after taking off from Moscow, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing and erupt in flames at the Sheremetyevo International Airport.
At least 41 passengers were killed in the incident as families of the victims alleged that some of the passengers delayed the evacuation effort by trying to save their luggage.
