OAG Travel News

The budget airline said the plane had experienced problems after birds were sucked into the engine as it came in to land at Rome's second-largest airport.

Passengers left the Boeing 737 using emergency chutes.

The plane remains on the runway with one engine resting on the tarmac because of damage to the landing gear. It is being examined by Ryanair engineers and the Italian Aviation Authority.

Ryanair said the airport, which hosts several budget airlines, would reopen later on Monday.

Ryanair flight FR4102 from Frankfurt to Rome had 166 passengers on board.

Reports say two cabin crew and at least three passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

One passenger said an engine had begun to smoke as the plane was coming in to land and it then descended rapidly.

"People were crying, it was terrible," he added.

Another passenger said he thanked God that nobody had died.

A picture of the plane on the Ryanair website appeared to show red marks on the nose cone and wings - presumably from the birds.

Other Ryanair flights would be diverted to Rome's other airport, Fiumicino, until Ciampino was re-opened, the airline said.

Source: BBC