Russian plane makes emergency landing after striking a flock of birds

A view shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow Region, Russia, August 15. Photo: VOA

The airline said on August 15 that one of its Airbus A321 aircraft made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Zhukovsky airport on the outskirts of Moscow after birds were sucked into its engines.

Russia’s Health Ministry said 23 people had suffered injuries, but that nobody had been killed in the accident.

Both TASS and Interfax quoted unnamed sources as saying 55 people among the 226 passengers and seven crew members were injured during the landing of the plane, in which both engines turned off as it touched down.

"Let us offer our wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured and congratulate the heroic pilots who saved people's lives and landed the plane," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

VNF/VOA