GEORGE TOWN (Penang) - A MALAYSIAN airlines (MAS) Boeing 737
from Singapore caught fire during its descent at the Penang
International Airport in Bayan Lepas near here on Thursday
afternoon, prompting an emergency landing.
MH674, carrying 83 passengers and seven crew members, was
scheduled to land at 12.15pm but lifted out of its descent when a
series of small explosions was heard from the right side of the
plane, followed by flames.
According to passenger accounts, the pilot circled the airport
once and managed to extinguish the flames before landing safely at
about 12.30pm.
Nobody was injured in the incident.
Penang International Airport senior manager Abdul Wahab Mohd
Yusof said the runway was closed for 20 minutes while the aircraft
was towed to the bay.
'The runway was reopened at 12.50pm,' he said.
-- THE STAR/ANN
