YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, August 21. /TASS/. The plane that performed an emergency landing in a field on Russia’s Far Eastern island of Sakhalin had fire in its engine, the press service of the Russian emergencies ministry’s department in the Sakhalin region has told TASS.
"The engine caught fire due to a technical malfunction," a spokesperson said.
Rescuers also said that it was an An-3 turboprop-powered biplane of the Aerial Forest Protection Service, which had seven people on board.
"There were seven people on board. All of them managed to evacuate in time," the press service said.
The incident occurred during a training flight. The fire spread to the area of 72 square meters but was promptly extinguished.
"Five people are the employees of the Aerial Forest Protection Service. They were undergoing training. There were also two pilots," the spokesperson added.
The Sakhalin transport prosecutor’s office said it has started an inquiry into the incident, which occurred two kilometers away from the airfield in the settlement of Zonalnoye.