Moscow plane fire: At least 13 killed on Aeroflot jet

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Media captionPassengers used emergency exit slides to escape and run away

At least 13 people were killed after a Russian plane caught fire mid-air before making an emergency landing at a Moscow airport.

Videos on social media showed passengers using emergency exit slides to escape and run away from the burning Aeroflot aircraft.

Russian news agency Tass said two children were among the dead.

One witness though said it was a “miracle” anyone escaped the jet, which was reportedly carrying 78 passengers.

It remains unclear what caused the large blaze and emergency landing.

The aircraft is reportedly a Sukhoi Superjet-100, and was scheduled to depart at 17:50 local time (14:50 GMT) for the city of Murmansk.

The crew issued a distress signal shortly after departure from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, Interfax reports.

Reports also suggest it did not succeed in its first emergency landing attempt.

Data from tracking website Flightradar24 appears to confirm reports the emergency landing happened about 30 minutes after take-off.

Kristian Kostov, a former Bulgarian Eurovision contestant, has posted on social media about witnessing the incident.

He said people at the airport were left “shaking” after seeing the aircraft engulfed by fire and said other flights are now unable to take-off.

An investigation has been opened into the incident, reports say.