Plane from China skids off Manila runway amid downpour

Manila: A Boeing passenger plane from China skidded off a runway while landing in a downpour at Manila’s airport and its 157 passengers and eight crew members were evacuated on an emergency slide, officials said.

All the passengers and crew of Xiamen Air flight MF8667 were safe and were taken to an airport terminal, where they were given blankets and food before being taken to a hotel, Philippine officials said.

“We have no reports yet of injuries but the passengers were all drenched,” said Eric Apolonio, a spokesman of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The B737 aircraft veered off the runway around midnight into a grassy area, Apolonio said. He cited an initial report that the plane appeared to have “bounced” during the landing then its lights went out.

One of the plane’s two engines appeared to have been damaged, another airport official said.

The airport’s international runway was expected to be closed until about noon today and airlines were notified of the closure, officials said.

Torrential monsoon rains enhanced by a tropical storm flooded many low-lying areas of Manila and outlying northern provinces over the weekend, displacing thousands of residents and forcing officials to shut schools and government offices.

The weather has improved but sporadic downpours have occurred.