Corfu plane engine fire: Dramatic moment plane's engine shoots out flames seconds after take-off

A stunned holidaymaker captured the dramatic moment a plane's engine shot out flames just seconds after take-off.

German tourist Niklas Leonhardt, 20, from Leipzig, filmed the startling scenes as the passenger jet roared overhead, moments after leaving the runway in Corfu.

He said: "We were renting a car from a place near the end of the runway, so we could see the plane taking off.

"I started to film because during take-off I could see the engine was shooting out flames."

The jet, which was bound for Brno in the Czech Republic on August 28, had only just lifted into the air when it began making loud bangs.

Footage shows bursts of fire flashing from the right-hand engine as the aircraft climbs, with onlookers watching from the ground.

Niklas said: "People were pretty confused and the police started to clear the area behind the runway. We don't know what could've happened."

The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at Aktion Airport in Preveza, around 45 minutes away.

Czech airline Smartwings, which operated the flight, was approached for comment.