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Majority of passengers of plane that crash-landed near Moscow refuse to travel further

An Ural Airlines Airbus A321 en route from Moscow to Simferopol made a belly landing near Zhukovsky International Airport earlier on Thursday

YEKATERINBURG, August 15. /TASS/. The majority of passengers of the Ural Airlines plane that crash-landed on Thursday morning near Moscow have declined to continue their trip, the Ural Airlines said on its Instagram account.

"Seven passengers have flown to Simferopol (their carry-on luggage has been handed over to them). 65 passengers with their checked and carry-on luggage have been transported to Domodedovo Airport by bus, they leave for Crimea at 20:25 Moscow time. The rest of the passengers have declined further travel, they will be compensated fully for their tickets and will also receive additional compensations," the airline said.

An Ural Airlines Airbus A321 en route from Moscow to Simferopol made a belly landing near Zhukovsky International Airport earlier on Thursday. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the plane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff. Both of the aircraft’s engines sucked in several birds and caught fire. There were 226 people aboard the aircraft, including 41 children.

The crew managed to land the plane in a cornfield and evacuate all passengers. According to medical sources, 76 people sought medical attention in the wake of the crash-landing. Currently, one woman remains hospitalized.

Russia’s Investigative Committee launched an investigation into the crash landing under Article 263.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (failure to satisfy air transport safety requirements). The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), in turn, set up a commission to investigate the accident.