Lion Air plane explosion kills eight in Philippines
A medical evacuation plane exploded in a ball of flames during takeoff on Sunday in the Philippine capital, killing all eight passengers and crew on board, officials said.
The plane was bound from Manila to Haneda, Japan, and burst into flames at the end of the runway, Manila’s main airport said.
Video footage showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as fire crews doused the fuselage with foam.
Photos from our team on the ground. <a href=”https://t.co/5SYvVxkcZk”>pic.twitter.com/5SYvVxkcZk</a>
—@DickGordonDG
The plane was a twin-jet West Wind 24.
“Our fire and medic teams were already dispatched to NAIA Terminal 2 to respond to the plane crash incident involving Lion Air Flight RPC 5880. Eight passengers consisting of a flight medic, nurse, doctor, three flight crew, one patient and its companion were on board,” Richard Gordon, a senator and head of the Philippine Red Cross, said on Twitter.
“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident,” the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said in a statement.
An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines was under way, MIAA said.
More to come.