Korean Air plane catches fire before takeoff in Tokyo, no injuries reported

Firefighters put a fire on a Korean Air plane under control at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on May 27, 2016.

SEOUL/TOKYO, (Yonhap) — A Korean Air plane caught fire before takeoff in Tokyo on Friday, but there were no reports of injuries, the foreign ministry here said.

According to Kyodo News and NHK, the fire occurred on the left wing of the Boeing 777-300 as it was set to leave Haneda Airport for Seoul. All 319 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated.

Seoul’s foreign ministry confirmed it received no reports of injuries.

The Tokyo Fire Department said Korean Air reported the fire at 12:44 p.m. More than 100 firefighters and rescue workers helped extinguish the fire and evacuate the passengers.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said the plane’s left engine apparently caught fire, and it was still trying to determine the exact cause.

Korean Air later clarified in a press release that a spark was detected in the No. 1 engine of the plane, when it was moving down the runway for takeoff.

The airline company said that it is working to figure out the exact cause of the engine defect. It said a B747-400 jet will be sent to Japan to bring back the passengers.

The Japanese police said the fire didn’t appear to have been caused by an act of terrorism.

Korean Air said an alternative airplane departed from Incheon International Airport at 4 p.m., which will arrive at Haneda Airport at around 6 p.m. to transport the passengers.

“The airplane has been in service for 15 years and the troubled engine was installed a year and a half ago,” an official at Korean Air said. “We will promptly figure out the cause of the engine defects.”

A Korean Air B777 is on approach for landing. South Korea’s largest full service carrier reported one of its B777s caught fire before taking off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo on May 27, 2016.