[Watch] China Passenger Plane Catches Fire After Veering Off Runway

Beijing: A Tibet-bound plane with 122 onboard veered off the runway and caught fire after an aborted takeoff in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing on Thursday morning, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

“Tibet Airlines flight 9833, an Airbus A319-115, was damaged beyond repair when it was involved in a takeoff accident at Chongqing-Jiangbei International Airport (CKG/ZUCK), China. Preliminary information indicates the aircraft aborted the takeoff and veered off the runway. A post-crash fire ensued, but all occupants were able to exit the aircraft,” noted Aviation Safety Network.

Video footage shows flames and black smoke billowing from the fuselage of the plane:

Tibet Airlines, in a statement, said that all passengers and crew have been safely evacuated and the injured passengers were all only lightly injured, and have been sent to hospital for treatment. Some reports suggested that 40 people have been hospitalised.

Notably, 132 people on board, including nine crew members, were killed after a Boeing 737 aircraft crashed in Tengxian county of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on March 12.