Quick-thinking fighter pilot ejects from jet seconds before it explodes

A fighter pilot has made a life-saving decision, ejecting from his burning jet seconds before it exploded on a runway in Belarus.

Video of the Russian MiG-29 bursting into flames as it prepared to take off at Bobruisk Airport has emerged online months after the near-miss.

In it, the jet is travelling down the runway at speed when flames begin to shoot from its engines. The landing gear then fails as the jet continues down the tarmac.

The pilot ejects from the aircraft only seconds before it is engulfed in flames.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defence praised the pilot for his swift actions.

“No one was hurt. The plane did not leave the territory of the airport,” the ministry said in a statement.