MOSCOW • A man was killed on the runway at Moscow's largest airport when he was hit by a plane that was taking off, Russian investigators said yesterday.

Russian news agencies quoted sources as saying that the man was on a stopover in Moscow and had earlier picked a fight on board his flight from Spain.

The 25-year-old somehow ended up on the runway where "a Boeing 737 plane inflicted deadly injuries on him during take-off", the Russian Investigative Committee said on Twitter.

The incident occurred in Sheremetyevo airport at around 8pm on Tuesday as the plane was taking off on a flight to Athens.

The head of Russia's aviation watchdog, Mr Alexander Neradko, told Russian agencies that the plane was operated by Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot.

Investigators said in a video posted on Twitter that they found down from the man's coat and a shoelace among the fragments scattered on the runway.

Russian news agencies said the man had been escorted by police in Sheremetyevo to the boarding gate for his connecting flight, but then walked away instead of boarding a bus to the plane.

Sources quoted by Russian agencies said that the man had been due to fly on to Armenia.

Interfax news agencies also quoted a source as saying that airport services and the police inspected the plane when it landed in Athens and found "holes" in the fuselage.

Aeroflot, which flies from Sheremetyevo, said on its website yesterday that a number of flights had been rescheduled as one of the three runways was closed.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE