People living in Meerssen have so far collected some 200 pieces of metal thought to have come from a cargo plane which flew over the Limburg village on Saturday, spreading ‘red hot’ engine parts, news website Nu.nl reported on Wednesday.

The metal pieces came from a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane which had left Maastricht airport for New York just after 4pm on Saturday.

Eyewitness say they heard loud bangs and saw flames coming out of one of the plane’s left motors before running for cover as the metal parts showered the village. Several cars and roofs were damaged by the metal, which was said to be ‘red hot’ as it hit the ground.

The plane made an emergency landing at Liege in Belgium where it remains while the investigation is being carried out.

‘If inspection of the plane shows that the remains of the motor are covered with feathers, then the cause of the incident can be established quickly,’ an aviation police spokesman told Nu.nl. ‘But is currently too soon to say anything.’