Passenger plane bursts into flames before skidding off runway in Peru

More than 141 people have escaped death after a passenger plane veered off a runway and burst into flames after crash-landing at a regional airport in Peru on Tuesday.

All passengers on board the plane were able to escape the Boeing 737 in time so there were no deaths from the incident. 

The aircraft operator, Peruvian Airlines, said no injuries or fatalities were reported “thanks to the pilot’s expertise and the high professionalism of our cabin crew”.

 

Witnesses said the pilot had lost control in high winds, while others said the fire had been caused by an exploding tyre.

The plane had just landed at Francisco Carle Airport, a regional airfield in Jauja, around 165 miles east of the capital, Lima.