A Russian plane caught fire during takeoff from the city of Ulan-Ude in Buryatia, Russia.
“The plane landed. There were no injuries,” the head of Buryatia, Alexey Tsydenov, said on his Telegram channel of the Tu-204 cargo plane, which was flying to Zhangzhou, China.
The engine of the Aviastar-TU aircraft caught fire during takeoff at Baikal International Airport, he said, adding that the plane was able to land safely, and that there were no injuries among the five crew members who were onboard the flight.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said the Tu-204 aircraft has been suspended from flying to allow authorities to assess its technical condition.
The country’s aviation industry has been hard hit by Western sanctions imposed over President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian-operated planes have been sanctioned by the U.S. government, and aircraft manufacturers have stopped delivering spare parts and new planes to the country.
