Chinese jet aborts takeoff, catches fire, causing minor injuries from evacuation

BEIJING: A passenger plane veered off the runway during take-off and caught fire at an airport in southwest China's Chongqing City at around 8:09 a.m. local time (0009 GMT) on Thursday. All 113 passengers and nine crew members on board have been evacuated safely from the Airbus jumbo jet, according to airport sources.

The crew of the Tibet Airlines' airliner TV9833/A319/B-6425 destined for Nyingchi City of southwest China's Tibetan Autonomous Region discovered that the aircraft caught fire while taking off from the Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing and decided to suspend the takeoff, before the plane veered off the runway.

So far, the fire on the aircraft has been put out, and the 113 passengers and nine crew members are all in safe condition after the evacuation. Some slightly injured passengers have been rushed to hospital for treatment.

Shortly after the accident took place, the Tibet Airlines immediately activated a first-level emergency plan and made every effort to deal with the aftermath.

The Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has temporarily closed the runway, suspend all scheduled takeoffs, and diverted some approaching flights to the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in neighboring Sichuan Province.