TOKYO // More than 300 passengers and crew members were evacuated from a Korean Air Boeing 777 at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in dramatic scenes after one of the engines caught fire, officials said Friday.
TV footage from the airport showed the plane, which was bound for Seoul’s Gimpo International, surrounded by dozens of fire engines and with the area around its left wing doused in foam. The plane’s inflatable emergency evacuation slides had all been deployed.
“The flight had a fire on Engine No. 1,” a Korean Air spokesman said.
“The plane bound to Kimpo [Gimpo] Airport from Haneda had 302 passengers and 17 crew members on board. [The] fire was apparently put out.”
Smoke was seen coming from the plane as it was about to take off at around 12.40pm (7.40am UAE).
A fire department official said passengers and crew were evacuated and there were no reported serious injuries.
“So far we know that 19 people were injured, some of whom said they feel ill,” he said.
The airport, which was closed temporarily, would resume operations on three out of four runways. The accident affected the travel plans of some 50,000 passengers, causing the cancellation of at least 200 flights, NHK reported.
* Agence France-Presse
