A Tu-204 cargo plane caught fire on takeoff at Baikal airport in Ulan-Ude on Thursday morning, the head of Buryatia said. Alexey Tsydenov in your telegram channel.

The accident occurred on an Aviastar-TU flight en route to Zhangzhou. Literally a few minutes after takeoff, its left engine burst into flames.

Experienced pilots quickly got their bearings – they dumped fuel and landed the aircraft. During this time, preparations were made on the ground – ambulances and rescuers arrived at the airport. But their help was not needed: the landing took place at 8:35 local time – without a hitch.

Eyewitnesses to the incident managed to film the plane dumping kerosene. They said a bang was heard before the fire.

The cause of the fire will be determined by a special expert commission; the investigation of the incident has been taken under control by the regional transport prosecutor’s office.