Video: China-bound Russian plane goes up in flames moments after terrifying explosion

A Russian cargo plane was seen exploding in the sky minutes after it reportedly took off from Ulan-Ude airport in Buryatia region, over 5,600 km east of Moscow.

The Tu-204 airplane was seen trailing flames after its engine reportedly exploded. The pilots, however, were successful in making an emergency landing just minutes after the take off.

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"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," a woman witness Lyubov Pichueva was quoted as saying by Britain's Daily Express paper.

Another witness said: "It was burning very bright just now. Something is falling out of it...It is dumping something."

Where was the flight headed?

The flight was reportedly headed to China. The aircraft took off from Baikal airport in Ulan-Ude and was headed for the Chinese city of Zhangzhou when the explosion occurred.

WION cannot immediately verify the authenticity of the video.

Were there any casualties?

The incident resulted in no casualties. The aircraft had five people onboard, and the incident is currently being investigated by the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office.

According to Alexey Tsydenov, head of the Buryatia region, the plane dumped its fuel before making an emergency landing using one engine.

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Russia is the subject of a 'red flag' probe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) due to a spate of air safety issues it has suffered in the recent past.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 120 air accidents in Russia involving civil aircraft operated by Russian airlines.

This, reports in the British media claim, is more than double the number in recent years despite significantly fewer flights amidRussia-Ukraine conflict.

(With inputs from agencies)