Russian Consulate General in Antalya reported contact with the airport management

The Russian Consulate General in Antalya says it is in contact with the airport management in connection with the fire of a plane of the Russian airline Azimut.

"According to preliminary information, the fire on board has been extinguished, there are no victims or casualties. Employees of the Consulate General continue to find out information about this incident and are ready to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers of the airplane," - stated in the message Telegram-channel of the consulate.

It is noted that the Consulate General has a round-the-clock emergency phone.

In addition, the Consulate General recommends the passengers of the plane, who arrived in Antalya on the lines of tour operators, to maintain contact with their representatives, as well as if necessary with the relevant insurance companies.

Thefire of the air plane of Azimut airline during landing at Antalya airport occurred earlier in the day. AirportHaber portal specified that the airport runway was temporarily closed due to the incident. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties as a result of the incident, the cause of the fire is being investigated. Later, the deputy airport manager Suat Seyitoglu specified that the fire in the plane of the Russian airline Azimut was extinguished.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia that Russian diplomats had rushed to the scene of the accident with a Russian airplane in Turkey.

Natalia, a passenger of the plane that caught fire, said that fuel began to leak out upon landing after a sharp impact, and then the engine caught fire. According to her, the crew of the plane tried to calm the passengers, who helped each other and got out of the inflamed aircraft by going down the inflatable ramp.

However, another passenger reported a sharp impact on landing, causing a power outage. According to her, there was panic and crush inside the airplane as it was being evacuated. There was a lot of smoke and a very strong smell of burning plastic. Children were supposed to be let out first, but this did not happen.

Honored test pilot of the USSR, aviation expert Viktor Zabolotsky suggested that the rough landing of the aircraft in Antalya could have led to the destruction of the tank or fuel lines, which subsequently caused the fire. He added that the flight may have landed in difficult weather conditions.