The moment when 200 birds were sucked into jet's engines

Melbourne, Sep 30 (ANI): Passengers travelling aboard a flight to Kosovo escaped death after more than 200 birds hit the plane during takeoff.

The flock of starlings were sucked into the right engine as the Germania Airlines jet took off from Dusseldorf Airport with 80 on board, reports News.com.au.

Others dented the fuselage but did not pierce it. Their splattered remains could be seen on the plane later.

Once airborne, the pilot reported engine damage and circled for almost 45 minutes before landing safely. (ANI)