DRAMATIC footage shows the moment a Russian cargo plane exploded soon after minutes after taking off.
Flames could be seen trailing from the stricken Tu-204 aircraft after the blast sparked an engine fire.
East2WestThe plane’s left engine caught fire after the explosion[/caption]
East2WestTu-204 cargo plane spewed flames and fuel before making an emergency[/caption]
The jet was forced to make an emergency landing back at the airport it had departed from in Ulan-Ude.
Witness Lyubov Pichueva said: “I heard a powerful explosion coming from above.
“At first I thought it was fireworks, but the sound was too strange.
“It was very scary.”
The Aviastar aircraft is used to ferry goods between China and Russia amid Western sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime.
It had been flying from Baikal Airport in Ulan-Ude to Chinese city Zhangzhou when the explosion led to fire in its left engine.
Alexey Tsydenov, head of the Buryatia region, said the aircraft had dumped fuel before making an emergency landing using one engine.
The plane landed at 8.30am local time today.
There were five crew on board – none of whom were injured.
An investigation is underway by the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office.
Russia has suffered a spate of air safety issues and the country is the subject of a “red flag” by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
In the first eight months of this year, there were 120 air accidents in Russia involving civil aircraft operated by Russian airlines.
This is more than double the number in recent years despite significantly fewer flights as a result of Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Western sanctions have hit the supplies of aircraft spare parts to Russia.