AN ELDERLY couple had a lucky escape after part of an exploding jumbo jet engine fell and crashed into their roof.
Louis and Domenica Demaret were in their home near Liege, Belgium, on Thursday night when they heard the noise of a plane which sounded like it was "flying lower than normal".
They then heard a loud boom close by, which Louis at first thought was a thunderstorm.
A Boeing 747 had set off from nearby Liege Airport en route to Malta when part of the engine hood came off.
Christian Delcourt, an airport spokesman, confirmed that the engine had fallen apart shortly after takeoff at around midnight Friday morning.
Domenica told Belgian outlet RTBF: "At one point, I heard the sound of an airplane, followed by a boom.
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"So I went out, I look at the front door, the alarm started ringing because the house still vibrated.
"I went out behind, I couldn't see anything."
Remarkably, she then went back into the house, where her grandson amazingly slept through the noise upstairs.
The next morning, Domenica explained, one of his neighbours came over and asked him: "Did you see the wreckage in your garden?"
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Domenica said she was left in tears and trembling when she realised what had happened.
They described what had happened as "the fear of their lives".
The Air Atlanta flight was able to continue its flight to Malta, where it will be repaired.
Incredibly, the falling plane engine caused only mild damage to the couple's garage roof, and their car parked inside was untouched.
"It is unbelievable," Louis said. "We are in shock and wonder how this could have happened."
I had a lucky escape
Louis said the debris was around two by three metres.
"I had a lucky escape," he said. "If it falls and it pierces the roof of the house, I'm in my room, and I have it in my bed."
The couple contacted the local police, who called the fire brigade and Liege Airport to remove the plane debris.
A further investigation has been launched into how the plane engine fell apart.
The Sun Online has approached Air Atlanta and Boeing for comment.
Last year, a similar incident took place when a plane took off from Maastricht in the Netherlands.
One of the engines exploded shortly after takeoff, showering the Dutch village of Meersen below with pieces of metal.
An elderly woman was wounded by the falling debris.
The Boeing 747 was forced to make an emergency landing at Liege Airport.
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