Arsenal women’s team plane 'catches fire' as aircraft tries to take off
The Arsenal women's plane caught fire on the runway as they were travelling back from Germany after their Champions League match.The football players, including Amber Gill's girlfriend Jen Beattie, Manuela Zinsberger, and lioness Rafaelle Souza, boarded the Boeing 737 to go back home to the UK after the team drew 2-2 with Wolfsburg.They were due to fly back to London on Sunday evening at 7:30pm from Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport, but the left engine caught fire, according to German publication Bild. An airport spokesman said the fire could have been due to a bird strike and that it is likely several birds got into the turbine and started the fire.
It is believed that nobody was inured. Emergency services rushed to the scene but didn't have to take action.
Witnesses said they heard a "loud bang" and the pilot had to abort the take-off - but was luckily able to get into the parking position on his own. After flames started to come out of the left engine, the pilots quickly evacuated the passengers, including Arsenal's first team squad.
Following the incident, Arsenal released a statement confirming the players have since returned home safely this morning. The statement read: "Our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening.
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