Passengers have been left shocked after a New York-bound flight was forced into an emergency landing due to engine failure minutes after take-off from Edinburgh Airport.

Delta Airlines flight DAL209 to New York quickly diverted to land at Prestwick after suffering problems.

Footage has emerged on social media of flames appearing to come from the aircraft’s wing.

Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before the plane was diverted.

BBC Scotland News journalist Laura Pettigrew was on the flight.

She said: “The plane took off and there was a load engine noise, similar to the noise normally during take-off and landing, but it seemed to continue once we were in the air.

“The captain walked up the length of the plane and then there was a Tannoy announcement – although no-one could hear it.

“But we soon realised we were preparing to land.

“When the plane touched down we could see fire trucks and firefighters with hoses rushing towards us.”

She added: “We were told to leave all our belongings and get off as quickly as we could.

“There was no real panic among passengers, more just confusion. However some families with kids were pretty distressed.”

Ms Pettigrew said she was not aware how serious the incident was until they got into the terminal and heard people talking about what had happened.

She added that the air crew on board the plane were “amazing”.

“They kept everyone calm,” she said. “The pilots seemed to do a smooth job of getting us down safely . Apparently the cabin crew were preparing for a crash landing.

“We’ve now been waiting in the departure lounge for several hours.”

Passengers hope they will be able to try the journey again on Saturday.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were in attendance to help airport fire crews.

A spokesperson said: “We were requested at 11:23 on Friday 10 February to assist our fire service partners at Prestwick Airport.”

“Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the site, where firefighters remain working to support their partners.”

A statement from Delta said: “Delta flight 209 from Edinburgh to New York-JFK safely diverted to Glasgow Prestwick Airport after a mechanical issue with one of the aircraft’s two engines.

“We apologise to our customers for this inconvenience and are working to get them to their final destinations via Edinburgh.”