Flight forced into emergency landing after 'rabbit' sucked into engine

A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing after a rabbit was reportedly sucked into an engine - causing a fire.

The incident occurred on Sunday, shortly after take-off from Denver in the US to Edmonton in Canada. The Boeing 737-800, which was carrying 153 passengers and six crew members, landed safely back in Denver without reports of any injuries, the airline said in a statement.

The firm said the incident was a "possible wildlife strike". Footage of the incident, shared online, captured worried passengers on board the United Airlines Flight 2325 shouting "fire".

In an interview with Good Morning America, passenger Scott Wolff said: "There was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane. We proceeded to still climb.

"Every few moments, there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everybody in the plane then started to panic." According to ABC News, LiveATC audio documented the flight crew asking for the plane to be inspected for an engine fire and being told it was a rabbit that apparently got sucked into an engine.

The pilot was said to have responded: "Rabbit through the number two [engine], that'll do it." Following the emergency landing, passengers later continued to Edmonton on a new aircraft. Read more from Sky News:Scientists find strongest evidence yet of extraterrestrial lifeLuxury watch thief mistakenly target pair of undercover officers The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the crew reported "striking an animal while departing".

A spokesperson added: "The FAA will investigate." Animals, particularly birds, hitting planes isn't uncommon, with nearly 20,000 strikes reported in 2023, according to an FAA report. In the most extreme cases over the years, collisions with wildlife killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft between 1988 and 2023 in the US..