Shocking footage shows bright orange flames billowing from the 12-year-old jet's engines as it approached Rostov airport - where the team will take on Uruguay on Wednesday
SAUDI Arabia's official team plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a bird flew into its engine sparking a fire with the World Cup squad on board.
Shocking footage shows bright orange flames billowing from the 12-year-old jet's engines as it approached Rostov airport - where the team will take on Uruguay on Wednesday.
An official statement read: "The Saudi Football Federation wishes to reassure everyone about the safety of all members of the mission of the national team after a minor technical malfunction in an engine.
"The plane landed a few minutes ago at Rostov on Don Airport, and UNOMIG personnel are now safely heading to their residence."
In a follow-up tweet, 25-year-old midfielder Hatan Bahbir told fans: "We are all fine. Well, of course we were scared a bit, but thank God."
The shaken players filmed themselves leaving the plane - a Russian Airlines Airbus A319-100 - shortly after landing.
"As flight FV1007 from St Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don began to land, the (Airbus) A319 plane suffered a technical fault with one of its engines, with a bird getting caught seen as the preliminary cause," a Rossiya airlines spokesman said.
"Nothing threatened the safety of the passengers. The aircraft's landing took place in a routine fashion. No warning was sounded during the landing at Rostov-on-Don airport."
The players were then seen calmly leaving the stricken jet before travelling to their hotel in the south of the country after leaving Moscow.
The aircraft was initially purchased as new by American airline Frontier Airlines before being bought by Russian-based Donavia in July 2013.
The Saudi side are hoping to redeem themselves after a humiliating 5-0 loss to hosts Russia last Thursday.
