A German Condor Airlines passenger flight that departed from Corfu, Greece, was forced to make an emergency landing in Italy after the aircraft’s right engine exploded and burst into flames shortly after takeoff.

Passengers on board reacted in horror, with some sending farewell messages to their loved ones.

The Boeing 757, carrying 273 passengers and eight crew members, took off on Saturday evening bound for Düsseldorf, Germany.

Shortly after takeoff, passengers reported hearing a series of loud bangs, followed by flames appearing near the aircraft’s right wing.

At the time, the plane was flying at an altitude of approximately eleven kilometers.

Flames erupted from the engine after a sequence of explosions.

“Suddenly the power went out for a few seconds, and we realized the plane had stopped climbing,” one passenger recounted.

“It was an exceptionally terrifying experience.

I had already sent farewell messages, because I thought it was the end.” Another passenger said: “We suddenly heard a loud noise, and then flames started coming from the engine.

It was extremely frightening.”

About forty minutes after takeoff, the pilots carried out an emergency landing at the nearest airport, in Brindisi, southern Italy.

Videos shared from Italy captured the aircraft in the air and the explosions.

A spokesperson for the German airline said the engine failure was caused by a malfunction in its combustion chamber.