300 people evacuated from Korean Air plane at Tokyo airport

About 300 passengers and crew members were evacuated from a Korean Air Boeing 777 at Tokyo's Haneda airport after one of the engines caught fire, officials said on Friday.

TV footage from the airport showed the plane, which was bound for South Korea's Gimpo International, surrounded by red fire trucks and with the area around its left wing doused in foam. The plane's inflatable emergency evacuation slides had all been deployed.

"The flight (Boeing 777) had a fire on Engine No.1," a Korean Air spokesman told AFP. "The plane bound to Kimpo (Gimpo) Airport from Haneda had 302 passengers and 17 crew members on board. (The) fire was apparently put out."

Smoke was seen coming from the plane as it was about to take off at around 00:40 pm (0910 IST), officials of the Japanese transportation ministry and the airport told AFP. Passengers and crew were evacuated and there were no reported injuries, NHK and Jiji Press said, citing police and fire department sources.