"A flight from Chongqing to Lhasa at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport overran the runway, causing the plane to catch fire," state broadcaster CCTV said.
The front portion of the Airbus SE A319 aircraft was engulfed in flames and enveloped by thick black smoke. Passengers carrying bags and other items were seen on the tarmac running away from the burning jet.
Video footage posted by China Central Television (CCTV) showed flames and billowing black smoke from the fuselage of the Tibet Airlines plane on the tarmac at Chongqing Jiangbei international airport, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The plane was due to fly from Chongqing in China’s southwest to Nyingchi in Tibet. Tibet Airlines is a subsidiary of state-owned national carrier Air China Ltd.
The incident comes less than two months after a China Eastern Airlines Corp. plane crashed in the southwestern province of Guangxi, killing all 132 passengers and crew.
The airport closed one of its runways at 0054 GMT, according to a notice to airmen that did not cite the reason. The runway is currently scheduled to reopen at 0400 GMT.
A Tibet Airlines A319 had been taking off at that time, according to FlightRadar24. The runway was closed one minute after FlightRadar24 last tracked the plane.
Here are the latest updates:
Passengers, crew 'safely evacuated' from Tibet Airlines jet: airline
All 113 passengers and nine crew onboard the flight were evacuated, Tibet Airlines said in a statement posted on Weibo.
Some passengers suffered minor injuries, the airline said.
