A packed plane en route from London Heathrow to Beijing has been forced into an emergency landing in Siberia after suffering an "engine failure" mid-flight.
The Air China jet was carrying 311 passengers along with crew to the Chinese capital before being diverted to Nizhnevartovsk in Russia’s Khanty-Mansi region.
The plane touched down at 8.17am local time this morning.
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Footage showed the huge plane rolling onto the tarmac at an airport where British flights rarely visit.
The plane left Heathrow at 10.43pm last night before running into trouble over Russian airspace.
It is still unclear how many British citizens were on board the plane.
Airport staff rushed to the sudden arrival.
Russian media were told by one eyewitness that airport services "were on high alert for the unexpected guest".
The plane after landing at the airport in Siberia
|X
"It's not every year that such a flight from the UK arrives in Nizhnevartovsk," the witness said.
"But they prepared quickly.
"A suitable boarding ramp was immediately brought to the plane.
"What happens next is still unknown."
The plane left Heathrow Airport last night
|GETTY
The witness said the "company will (most likely) send a reserve aircraft along with technicians and parts".
"Since local technicians definitely will not be able to repair such a large airliner in Nizhnevartovsk," the witness added.
Passengers could face uncertainty over where they will stay.
The city is 1,435 miles east of Moscow and there is limited facilities for such a large amount of people.
Russian media reported that it was "unknown where such a large number of passengers will stay" .
"It will be difficult to fit all the people in the local airport's holding area," the report said.
Due to sanctions in Russia, British bank cards no longer work in the country, making it harder for UK passengers.
The Foreign Office has continued to warn against travel to Russia with foreigners risking detention or prosecution for activities seen as "against Russian interests".
The pilots chose Nizhnevartovsk as the weather was clear and the long runway could safely handle the widebody jet, reports say.
The Ural Transport Prosecutor’s Office has since confirmed the emergency landing.
GB News has contacted Air China and the Foreign Office for comment.
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