Russia: 74 injured in emergency airline landing

MOSCOW

A commercial airliner made an emergency landing near the Russian capital on Thursday, injuring 74 passengers including 19 children.

Ural Airlines flight A321 was headed from Moscow to Simferopol with 230 passengers on board when one of its engines was engulfed in flames while in the air, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.

Managing to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the aircraft, the crew requested an emergency landing at Zhukovsky Airport, but undershot the landing strip by about one kilometer (0.6 mile).

The burning engine detached from the aircraft after it reached the ground.

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the competent authorities to award the pilots for "high competence and strong professional skills demonstrated in an emergency situation".

Most of the passengers sustained minor injuries, with only six -- including five children -- hospitalized. The rest were checked in at the nearby hotels and the airliner promised to carry them to the planned destination on Thursday evening.

According to Ural Airlines Director Sergey Skuratov both engines failed after several birds flew in them.

A criminal inquiry was launched into the case following the incident.