Tokyo, Aug 20 (IANS) Black smoke was seen near the engine of an aircraft at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Thursday morning, causing the affected runway to be closed for inspection, a public broadcaster reported.
According to public broadcaster NHK, at around 10:40 a.m. local time, the fire department received a report that something resembling black smoke could be seen coming from an aircraft engine at the airport.
The report, citing police, said the aircraft was a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane taxiing on the runway for takeoff when some problem occurred with its engine, prompting the flight to be aborted.
The plane was carrying a total of 160 crew members and passengers, and there have been no reports of injuries so far, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the public broadcaster NHK.
Narita Airport said the incident prompted the closure of Runway A, which is currently being inspected.
Footage aired by NHK showed the aircraft parked on the runway at around 11 a.m., with several fire engines and ambulances around it as personnel worked to deal with the incident.
Officials stated that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the incident.
Further details are awaited.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, four workers were struck by an express train while carrying out maintenance work on the tracks at a train station in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture on Thursday morning, public broadcaster NHK reported.
All four were taken to hospital and were unconscious when they were transported, the fire department said.
Police and firefighters are investigating the details of the incident.
Further details of this case are also awaited.
–IANS
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