MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian authorities opened an investigation on Wednesday after a plane with 91 passengers on board rolled off the runway on landing in Russia’s far east.

The Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet-100, which was on an internal flight, landed in the region of Sakha in the early hours of Wednesday, but then came off the runway for some reason, the transport ministry said.

Footage showed the rear wheels of the aircraft had collapsed in the accident.

Everyone on board was safely evacuated and nobody was seriously injured, the ministry said. Four people had sought medical attention.

Photographs showed the badly-damaged plane’s tail and engines resting on the tarmac, its rear wheels crumpled underneath, and its front wheel suspended in the air. Evacuation slides had been opened.

Possible reasons for the accident included ice on the runway or the air strip’s poor state of repair, sources cited by Russian news agencies said.

Reuters

Photo Rob Vogelaar