MOSCOW: Russian news reports say the hatch of a cargo plane carrying precious metals accidentally flew open upon takeoff - scattering at least 3 tonnes of gold on the runway.
Ok. Gold rain drops looked that way on Yakutsk Airport’s runway. Pretty heavy and sonorous... Video by transport police from Whatsapp. pic.twitter.com/YYiO1P6lh7
— Bolot Bochkarev (@yakutia) March 15, 2018
An investigation is underway after the incident Thursday at the airport in the far east city of Yakutsk, according to the Tass news agency.
An An-12 plane operated by the airline Nimbus took off for Krasnoyarsk carrying 9.3 tonnes of gold and other precious metals, according to a statement from the state Investigative Committee quoted by Tass. Damage to a door handle caused it to fly open and spill some of the metal.
Golden rain :) In Russian airport of Yakutsk, during takeoff of An-12 the part of door of the cargo hatch fell off and 3.4 tonns of gold and platinum dropped out of a transport plane on the airstrip and surrounding areas. pic.twitter.com/zkEx7NwyCw
— Yuri L (@imp_navigator) March 15, 2018
Authorities recovered 172 gold bars weighing 3.4 tons, Tass quoted Interior Ministry officials as saying.
No one was hurt in the incident. Images circulating on social media showed gold bars scattered across a runway.