Russia plane fiery landing: 41 deads

At least 40 people died when an Aeroflot airliner burst into flames while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport Sunday evening, officials said. Two children were among the dead, and multiple others were injured.

Harrowing video shot from inside the Sheremetyevo airport terminal showed large flames and billowing black smoke coming from the plane as it landed. Later video showed a distinct trail of flames on the tarmac behind the plane, presumably from fuel that leaked out of the Sukhoi SSJ-100 regional jet as it slowed to a stop.

Elena Markovskaya, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said early Monday that 41 people were killed. But Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said later that 38 survived, implying the death toll was 40. Officials with Sheremetyevo airport said the aircraft had 73 passengers and five crew members on board.

Aeroflot confirmed on Twitter that flight 1492 was en route from Moscow to Murmansk in northwestern Russia when it was forced to turn back because of technical problems. The airline said in a brief statement Sunday the engines of the Sukhoi SSJ100 were burning after the aircraft landed, but the sequence of events before and after the fire started was not clear.