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MOSCOW. – Saudi Arabia’s official football team plane caught fire in mid-air as they travelled to their next World Cup match on Monday.

The Green Falcons, who suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to tournament hosts Russia, were on their way to Rostov in preparation for their second Group A fixture against Uruguay today when the incident happened.

Flames were seen coming from one of the engines of the Russian Airlines Airbus. A statement from the country’s football association said: “The Saudi Football Federation wishes to reassure everyone about the safety of all members of the mission of the national team after a minor technical malfunction in an engine. The plane landed a few minutes ago at Rostov on Don Airport, and UNOMIG personnel are now safely heading to their residence.”

Videos uploaded to Twitter showed fire shooting from the engines of the plane underneath the wings. – AFP.