The tragedy was seconds away. The engine of the Swiss Airbus caught fire during takeoff on the runway

An Airbus A330 took off in the direction of Zurich an hour after midnight. When there was a bang from the left engine, the pilot started braking hard.

Fortunately, it was enough to stop the plane before the end of the runway, after which fire trucks rushed to it and the crews began to extinguish the damaged engine.

The passengers had to stay on board for about ten minutes with the lights off. “We were all scared. After the explosion, we felt a sharp braking until we stopped,” passenger Tsering Margey confirmed to the daily Blick.

“When they turned on the light and told us we had to evacuate, chaos and panic broke out,” he added, adding that his girlfriend, who was sitting by the emergency exit, was beaten by people.

“From the window, I saw sparks flying from the engine. It was a few seconds before takeoff, after which the pilot interrupted the take-off maneuver,” another passenger described the dramatic moments.

The crew released the emergency slides, after which most of the passengers left the plane. For the smaller number of people who could not use the slides, the technicians added steps.

During the evacuation, according to The Times of India, six people were injured and transported to the hospital by ambulance. According to unconfirmed information, there were abrasions, bruises and, in one case, a broken leg.

In the meantime, the carrier has announced that it is taking all measures to provide passengers with accommodation and alternative connections. At the same time, he sent technicians to the Indian metropolis to find out what caused the incident.

“We want to know all the details. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority,” Swiss spokesman Michael Pelzer assured.