'Rabbit suicide mission' caught on camera: United Airlines plane engine explodes mid-air. Video

The engine of a United Airlines plane travelling from Denver, US, to Edmonton, Canada, exploded mid-air with over 150 people onboard. Reports suggest that a rabbit may be to blame for the shocking explosion.

As per reports, the flight from US to Canada was taking off when the passengers experienced a loud disturbance before fire shot from the plane's right engine.

Thankfully, the pilots were able to deal with the issue safely. They turned the Boeing passenger plane around and made an emergency landing back at the airport. The plane stayed in the air for 75 minutes as the pilots attempted to handle the unusual situation.

While reports suggest that a rabbit caused the blast, it is not yet known how the animal managed to hop inside the Boeing plane's engine.

At the time of the incident, there were 159 people onboard, reports Mirror UK.

Speaking to ABC news, one passenger, Scott Wolff said that "there was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane (but) we proceeded to still climb."

"Every few moments, there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everybody in the plane then started to panic".

United 737-800 makes emergency landing after reportedly hitting a rabbit on departure from Denver. Video from inside the cabin showed large flames shooting from the engine. pic.twitter.com/OrC9XRO9UZ

🇺🇸RABBIT SUICIDE MISSION SETS UNITED FLIGHT ENGINE ABLAZE

A United Airlines flight was forced into an emergency landing after a rogue rabbit launched itself into an engine on takeoff from Denver - turning Flight 2325 into a midair fire show.

Passengers described explosions,… https://t.co/4JuqFrEQft pic.twitter.com/dSGcGpjvTJ

Only the rabbit was killed in the tragic incident. The passengers, meanwhile, were sent on their way in another plane.

"The aircraft returned to the gate, and we've lined up a new aircraft to get our customers on their way," said United Airlines in a statement.

The bunny entering the plane's engine was a rare happening, usually when it comes to wildlife, aircraft face the threat of bird strike. 

In December last year, a Jeju Air plane flying from Thailand to Muan in southwest South Korea crashed due to a bird strike, killing 179 people. On December 29, the Boeing 737-800, carrying 181 passengers and crew, belly-landed and exploded into a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier. It was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.