A plane owned by a Philippine-registered charter service Lionair, bound for Japan has burst into flames during its takeoff. The incident occurred around 20:00 hours local time. Indonesian carrier Lion Air says that the crash is not related to their Manila-based Lion Air commercial airline.
Officials says that the plane was carrying a coronavirus patient en route to Japan exploded as it reaches the end of the runway, killing all eight passengers and crews on Sunday evening. The victims included an American, a Canadian and six other Filipinos.
Video footage showed large fumes of smoke at the crash site as firefighters extinguish the flame with chemical foam. The twin-jet plane was carrying three medical personnel, three crews; a patient and a companion, according to Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross.
“Unfortunately, no passengers survived the accident,” the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement. An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines is under way. The runway was temporarily closed.
Source: asiaone
