Passengers of the Orenair plane heading to Moscow from the Dominican Republic thanked the pilots for their safe landing.
It is not known why the plane, a Boeing-777 made in 2005 and thoroughly inspected prior to the flight, had the accident. Investigators are considering low-quality fuel as the reason for the accident.
"We were in the front part of the plane. The explosion was on the left, or rather a pop. On the internet, they said that [oxygen] masks were flying out, but that didn't happen. The captain said that that there will be an emergency landing and we are going back to Punta Cana. He circled for around 40 minutes. The landing was classic. The captain was jut great," passenger Aleksandr Kolotilin told RT.
"There was some smoke in the cabin, and that was all. The crew worked great, the guys are great, just super. They saved our lives," passenger Yulia Arzumanova told RT.
"As soon as we landed, there was smoke, emergency exits were opened [to the] inflatable chute. Children were [evacuated] first, then the rest. We were told 'Don't take your bags, run, everything could explode.' When we left, the whole plane was engulfed in smoke," another passenger said.
Passengers applauded the pilots when the latter exited, and have supported calls for a bonus to be paid to the plane's crew.
The pilots themselves thanked the passengers for quickly evacuating and not creating a panic, saying that the landing was "ordinary."
