A supervisor at Sochi airport in Russia has died during an emergency response after a landing plane careered off the end of the runway into a riverbed and caught fire, officials have said.

Russian health ministry said 18 people were injured in the accident, which occurred at about 3am local time (01.30 BST) as the Flight UT579, a Utair-operated Boeing 737 from Moscow, carrying 164 passengers and six crew members, was landing.

The airport said the fire was extinguished within eight minutes.

The transportation minister, Yevgeny Ditrikh, said airport shift supervisor Vladimir Begiyan, who was one of the first responders to the accident, died after having a heart attack at the scene.

Some of the injured suffered burns, others carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.

The jet was attempting to land in strong wind and heavy rain early on Saturday, Russian media reported. The plane's undercarriage and a wing were damaged when it left the runway and a left engine then caught fire.

Video shows fierce flames from the aircraft after it crashed through the airport fence and fell into a riverbed.

BBC Online, Guardian 

BDST: 0919 HRS, SEPT 2, 2018
SI