Tibet plane catches fire

A Tibet Airlines plane caught fire yesterday after veering off the runway at a Chinese airport, but all passengers and crew were safely evacuated, the airline said.

The flight, carrying 113 passengers and nine crew, was headed from Chongqing to Tibet's Nyingchi when "abnormalities" were noticed and take-off was suspended, causing the jet to overrun the runway, the company said.

Images shared by Chinese state media showed flames engulfing the side of the stricken jet as terrified passengers ran from the scene.

Photos of the aftermath showed scorch marks covering the nose and one wing of the jet, which had been doused in water to control the blaze.

"All passengers and crew have been safely evacuated," Tibet Airlines said. "The injured passengers were all only lightly injured, and have been sent to hospital for treatment."

Flight TV9833 deviated from the runway during take-off and "the left side of the aircraft's nose caught fire," Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport said.

About 40 passengers were sent to hospital. Operations at airport have since returned to normal.

"The cause of the accident is being investigated," Chongqing Jiangbei said.

The flight tracking platform VariFlight said the plane is 9 1/2 years old.

The incident comes after a China Eastern flight travelling from Kunming to Guangzhou plunged from 29,000 feet into a mountainside in March, killing all 132 people on board.

No reason for that crash, China's deadliest in around 30 years, has yet been given.