China – Plane Catches Fire On Take Off – 5 Injured

BEIJING: Over 50 people had a miraculous escape today when a passenger plane skidded off a runway and caught fire while taxiing in a airport in China’s southeast Fujian Province, injuring five.

The Joyair flight, JR1529, was scheduled to depart at 11.40 am from Fuzhou Changle International Airport in Fuzhou City, capital of Fujian Province, but careered off the runway.

Five people suffered minor injuries, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Civil Aviation Administration of China as saying.

A Chinese journalist at the airport reported seeing smoke from the plane and passengers fleeing the cabin.

Pictures on microblog Sina Weibo show one of the wings to be broken people dousing the plane with water.

The China-made Modern Ark 60 aircraft flies between Fuzhou and the eastern city of Yiwu in Zhejiang Province.

There were 45 passengers and seven cabin crew on board when the accident happened.

The airport was closed for several hours. The Joyair fleet consists of mainly domestic-made aircraft.