A US Airways Airbus A320 crash-landed into the Hudson River in New York this evening (3.30 pm in New York) after apparently hitting a flock of birds which caused at least one of its two engines to fail.

The airliner, incredibly, stayed in one piece and afloat, enabling the passengers to quickly evacuate, some of them standing on the wings to await a fleet of boats which quickly headed to the scene.

The plane had just taken off from La Guardia airport on a domestic flight with some 100 passengers on board. The passengers, incredulous at their lucky escape, said the pilot had warned them to expect a hard impact just before the crash. All are believed to have survived. The pilot has been hailed as a hero.

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