Airplane catches fire in Russia

Emergency landing at Moscow airport leaves at least 41 dead.
Dozens of people were killed in a plane crash at Moscow's main airport. The Superjet-100 on the way between Moscow and Murmansk caught fire on Sunday at Sheremetievo airport after making an emergency landing. Russian authorities confirm that 41 of the 78 people aboard died (on a first count, they mentioned 13 fatalities) and reported that several were injured. The crew informed Russian agencies that lightning struck the plane in mid-flight, prompting the pilot to return to the airport and make an emergency landing. The Russian airline Aeroflot, however, speaks of "technical reasons".
The authorities have opened a case for "violation of the rules of use of air transport that led to the death of two or more people." Videos by travelers at the airport and by security officials show dozens of people descending the emergency slide, while many others run down the runway. Emergency services pointed out that it was very difficult to get an exact count of the victims because many passengers started wandering around the airport and the situation was chaotic. They also said that several passengers made it difficult for them to carry their hand luggage and other belongings.
"We almost fainted with terror as the plane moved up and down like a grasshopper until it caught fire on the ground," Piotr Yegorov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "Now we do not understand anything. The emergency services and doctors are seeing us now, "he added.
The Aeroflot Superjet carried 78 people on board (72 passengers and 6 crew) and went from the main airport of the capital to Murmansk, a city in northwestern Russia. Around 18:35 (1235 GMT), the aircraft requested an emergency landing. According to the portal Flightradar24, the airplane only managed to land on the second attempt. The jet chassis hit the ground and caught fire. The emergency device was then fired into the passenger aircraft. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that it took 18 minutes to put out the flames.
"The plane reported a problem on board and prepared to make an emergency landing. It failed on the first attempt and on Monday, the landing gear hit the runway, as did the nose of the aircraft, and the fire occurred, "a source quoted by Interfax as saying.