Passengers on board a Boeing 737 jet were left screaming in panic after the aircraft’s roof collapsed onto them after takeoff.
The scenes unfolded after the plane took off from Mashhad, Iran, on Tuesday.
Footage shows terrified passengers gripping onto their seats as the cabin vibrates violently.
Within moments, they can be heard screaming as ceiling panels appear to detach and crash onto the seats below.
The plane’s pilot was forced to declare an emergency and returned to Mashhad Hashemi Nejad International Airport, where the aircraft landed safely.
The plane suffered a tyre blowout during takeoff, according to reports, and is also believed to have experienced damage to one of its engines.
Some passengers were struck by items falling from damaged overhead compartments, but no injuries were reported.
The Sepehran Airlines flight, carrying 127 passengers and crew, was heading to the western city of Kermanshah when the incident unfolded.
Screen grab from footage taken inside the plane shows the moment passengers screamed as the aircraft began to shake violently
Footage captured the moment the plane’s ceiling collapsed onto passengers, this video grab shows
Video grab shows detached panels dangling off the plane’s ceiling following the mid-air emergency
After landing, the passengers were transferred to another aircraft to complete their journey.
The incident resulted in one of the two runways at Mashhad International Airport being temporarily closed.
It is not clear how many flights were affected by the closure.
A technical investigation into the incident is underway.
Iran’s aviation industry has struggled for decades under international sanctions, which have made it difficult for airlines to obtain new Western-built aircraft and genuine spare parts.
As a result, Iranian carriers have had to keep ageing aircraft in service for longer, while relying on complex maintenance arrangements to keep their fleets flying.
The country’s commercial fleet includes aircraft dating back decades, while sanctions have also complicated access to modern maintenance and upgrades.
Iranian authorities and officials have repeatedly blamed sanctions for difficulties facing the country’s aviation industry, although the specific cause of any individual incident requires a technical investigation.
A passenger holds his hand out in an attempt to hold one of the ceiling’d detached panels in place
Terrified passengers stood up from their seats and began to scream and pray after the ceiling collapsed, this screen grab shows
The dramatic incident is the latest in a spate of emergencies involving Boeing 737 jets.
Last week, a Boeing 737’s wing struck the runway during an aborted landing in Ireland.
Dramatic footage showed passengers screaming as the Ryanair plane jolted and tipped to one side while it touched down at Dublin Airport.
The pilots then aborted the landing and took the plane back into the air to perform a go-around, as one person on board can be heard cursing.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: ‘On landing in Dublin yesterday evening (10 Sept) Ryanair flight FR9457 from Bologna suffered a minor wing tip impact.
‘The aircraft landed safely and all passengers offloaded normally. Our engineers have repaired the wing tip and the aircraft has since gone back into service this morning (11 Sept).’
The flight had taken off from Bologna before coming in to land in Dublin at around 10.45am.
As it touched down, the aircraft tipped onto its right-hand side and its wing tip struck the runway.
The pilots immediately aborted the landing, powering the aircraft back into the air.
They were able to bring the plane safely back down around 15 minutes later
