A Tibet Airlines plane caught fire after straying off the runway at a Chinese airport on Thursday, but the airline claimed all passengers and staff were “safely evacuated.”
The flight, which was carrying 113 passengers and nine crew members, was flying from Chongqing, China, to Nyingchi, Tibet, when “abnormalities” were discovered and take-off was halted, leading the plane to exceed the runway, according to the business.
Chinese state media broadcast images of flames devouring the side of the crippled plane as scared passengers fled the scene.
Photos from the scene showed scorch marks on the jet’s nose and one wing, which had been sprayed in water to put out the fire.
Tibet Airlines issued a statement saying, “All passengers and employees have been safely evacuated.”
“All of the injured passengers sustained minor injuries and were sent to the hospital for treatment.”
Flight TV9833 strayed from the runway after takeoff, and “the left side of the aircraft’s nose caught fire,” according to a separate statement from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport.
According to the airport, some 40 passengers were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has since resumed normal operations. The airport stated, “The cause of the accident is being probed.”
The incident comes after a China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed into a mountainside in March, killing all 132 passengers and crew members.
No reason has been given for the incident, which was China’s bloodiest in approximately 30 years.
Two flight recorders have been found and are being studied in the United States in the hopes of solving the enigma behind the China Eastern jet’s quick plunge.
China’s ruling Communist Party responded fast to restrict information in the aftermath of the catastrophe, ramping up its censorship machine as media outlets and citizens rushed to the crash site.
According to authorities, no problems were reported prior to the flight, and no risky cargo was on board, and the plane’s navigation and monitoring equipment showed no irregularities.
