Lion Air plane evacuating patient explodes upon take-off, killing 8

Debris of the medical evacuation plane that exploded during takeoff on the runway of Manila’s main airport. (Reuters pic)

MANILA: A medical evacuation plane exploded into a ball of flames during take-off in the Philippine capital on Sunday, killing all eight passengers and crew on board, officials say.

The Lion Air plane was bound from Manila to Haneda airport, Japan, and burst into flames at the end of the runway at around 8pm, Manila’s main airport said.

Vidoe footage showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as fire crews doused the fuselage with foam.

The twin-jet West Wind 24 was carrying three medical personnel, three flight crew, a patient and a companion, 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 underway, MIAA said.- FMT