MANILA -- A plane from China skidded off a runway at Manila's airport while landing in a downpour and its 157 passengers and eight crew members evacuated safely by the emergency slides.
The passengers and crew of Xiamen Air Flight 8667 were taken to an airport terminal, where they were given blankets and food before being taken to a hotel, Philippine officials said.
"We have no reports yet of injuries, but the passengers were all drenched," said Eric Apolonio, a spokesman of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The Boeing 737 aircraft veered off the runway around midnight Thursday, August 16, into a grassy area, Apolonio said. He cited an initial report that the plane appeared to have "bounced" during the landing then its lights went out.
One of the plane's two engines appeared to have been damaged, another airport official said. The flight had originated in Xiamen, a port city in Fujian province on the southeast coast along the Taiwan Strait.
The Manila airport's international runway was expected to be closed until about noon Friday, officials said.
Torrential monsoon rains enhanced by a tropical storm flooded many low-lying areas of Manila and northern provinces last weekend, displacing thousands of residents and forcing officials to shut schools and government offices. The weather has improved with sporadic downpours. (AP)