SAUDI Arabia's official team plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a bird flew into its engine sparking a fire with the World Cup squad on board.

Shocking footage shows bright orange flames billowing from the 12-year-old jet's engines as it approached Rostov airport - where the team will take on Uruguay on Wednesday.

An official statement read: "The Saudi Football Federation wishes to reassure everyone about the safety of all members of the mission of the national team after a minor technical malfunction in an engine.

"The plane landed a few minutes ago at Rostov on Don Airport, and UNOMIG personnel are now safely heading to their residence."

In a follow-up tweet, 25-year-old midfielder Hatan Bahbir told fans: "We are all fine. Well, of course we were scared a bit, but thank God."

The shaken players filmed themselves leaving the plane - a Russian Airlines Airbus A319-100 - shortly after landing.

"As flight FV1007 from St Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don began to land, the (Airbus) A319 plane suffered a technical fault with one of its engines, with a bird getting caught seen as the preliminary cause," a Rossiya airlines spokesman said.

"Nothing threatened the safety of the passengers. The aircraft's landing took place in a routine fashion. No warning was sounded during the landing at Rostov-on-Don airport."

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