Reuters Photographer Keeps Shooting as Plane Catches Fire

Reuters photographer Beawiharta was on a flight from Singapore to Jakarta and getting some rest when he was woken by a sound he compared to a tire blowing out. Shortly after, he started to smell burning, looked out of the window and saw fire. Nothing but fire.

Beawiharta believed that he, and his family which was on the plane with him, were going to die. He comforted his children and then, realizing that he had a photography opportunity that very few ever have, he started shooting. " After 20 years living as a photographer," he writes, "I was thinking as a photographer."

In the end, the plane was able to turn back to Singapore and land without incident. The crew put out the blaze and everyone returned to Singapore safely. The pictures captured are nothing short of amazing, especially because they represent an event that's rarely, if ever, photographed.

"Taking pictures in dangerous situations is part of my job," says Beawiharta. "But taking pictures in a dangerous situation with my family was a whole new experience for me."

Read the full story and see more pictures on the Reuters Blog.