Two dead, dozens hurt in Moscow plane's emergency landing

A PASSENGER plane slammed into buildings at a Moscow airport after making an emergency landing last night, killing two people and injuring dozens, Russian investigators said.

The Dagestan Airlines Tupolev plane carrying more than 155 people overshot the runway after landing at Domodedovo airport outside Moscow, with all three of its engines failing, authorities said.

"As the result of the emergency landing of the Tu-154 in Domodedovo, two people died, and around 40 people were injured," the emergencies ministry said in a statement.

The number of injured later grew to 56, a health ministry spokesman told the RIA Novosti news agency.

Up to 10 of the injured were in very serious condition, a health ministry spokesman told the agency, adding that medics were in the process of sending the injured to hospitals.

"At the moment, almost 50 people are being prepared for hospitalization," a source at the airport told RIA Novosti.

A passenger said the crew managed to prevent the plane from hitting a concrete wall as it rolled off the runway.

"The plane broke into three parts, but it did not run into a concrete wall but hit a little hillock," Valery Chumak told the Interfax news agency.

"The crew did a good job. They did everything they could, thank you to them. If we had hit the wall that was nearby, we would have blown up."

The passengers with the least injuries were those sitting at the back of the plane, Mr Chumak said.

Two of the airliner's engines failed shortly after takeoff from Vnukovo airport, forcing the crew to put down at Domodedovo.

The third engine failed on landing, and the plane overshot the runway, the investigative committee of the State Prosecutor's Office said.

"After takeoff, two of the engines failed, so the captain took the decision to make an emergency landing in Domodedovo Airport.

"While landing, the third engine failed, and the plane rolled beyond the runway and collided with buildings on the ground. As a result, two people died," investigators said in a statement, adding that a criminal investigation was opened into breaches of safety rules.

A spokeswoman for Moscow's transport prosecutors' office said the plane was carrying 163 passengers, including seven children and nine crew members, Interfax reported.

However, the emergencies ministry said on its website that there were 160 passengers and eight crew members on board.

The plane was flying from Moscow to Makhachkala, in Dagestan in the North Caucasus, the emergencies ministry said - but the investigative committee said it was en route to Mineralniye Vody, a spa resort in the North Caucasus.

An emergency cell was set up at the airport for investigators and representatives of the police, health ministry and other agencies to deal with the crash, ITAR-TASS reported.

More than 20 ambulances were sent from Moscow to the airport, some 25 miles from the capital, Interfax reported.

 
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