Tibet Airlines' plane in China veers off runway, catches fire; 25 injured

Beijing, May 12 (PTI) A passenger plane of China’s Tibet Airlines with 122 people onboard veered off the runway and caught fire while taking off in the country’s southwest Chongqing city on Thursday.

The Tibet-bound plane was carrying 113 passengers and nine crew members, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

All the people aboard the plane were evacuated and the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The number of casualties was not known immediately, state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported.

Video footage posted by China Central Television (CCTV) showed flames and billowing black smoke from the fuselage of the Tibet Airlines plane on the tarmac at Chongqing Jiangbei international airport, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

People could be seen running from the plane after escaping via an evacuation slide at the rear door.

CCTV said the fire had been extinguished and the runway closed.

The aircraft was about to depart for Nyingchi in Tibet when the fire started.

The airline has said that the accident is under investigation.

This is the second incident involving a passenger plane in China in recent weeks.

On March 12, a Boeing 737 aircraft from Kunming to Guangzhou had crashed in Tengxian county of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. All the 132 people on board, including nine crew members, were killed.