Plane freezes to ground in Russia; passengers push it to runway

Moscow, Nov 26: Passengers of a Russian plane that "froze" achieved a miracle when they braved biting cold winds to push their stricken plane towards the runway.

The passengers were shift workers flying south to warmer climes and their Tu-134 chartered plane froze to the ground Tuesday, with temperatures plummeting to -52 degrees Celsius, The Telegraph reported.

Oil in the aircraft's chassis reportedly iced up, and its brakes seized.

"It's -52 degree Celsius here," an employee at Igarka airport told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, which The Telegraph cited in its report.

"The oil froze in the chassis bearings. These temperatures are the limit at which an aircraft can be used, it's very cold," the employee was quoted as saying.

A video filmed on a mobile phone shows the passengers crying "Davay, davay!" ("Come on! Come on!") as they help guide the plane towards the runway in Igarka, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The video, titled "Shift workers want to get home!", spread quickly across news sites and social media Wednesday.

However, authorities were not amused and said a probe had been launched to establish whether health and safety rules were violated.

IANS