Plane forced into emergency landing due to engine fire

A plane has been forced into an emergency landing shortly after take-off in the US after a suspected engine fire.

Mobile phone footage shows tongues of flames licking the plane as it spears through they sky.

The Boeing 737 was forced to return to Salt Lake City International Airport following a “performance issue” on Monday, Southwest Airlines confirmed according to US media.

The flight lasted about 30 minutes.

“The pilots of flight #WN604 operating today from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) elected to return to SLC after receiving a cockpit indication of a performance issue with one of the aircraft engines,” Southwest said in a statement to AirLive.

According to media reports, all 110 passengers and crew members on board were unharmed and transferred to another plane before continuing on their journey to Los Angeles.