A Xiamen Air aircraft with 165 people on board veered off an airport runway in the Philippines capital of Manila shortly before midnight on Thursday, but there were no casualties.The Boeing 737-800, landing after a flight from Xiamen, “went off the runway during a heavy downpour,” said Connie Bungag, the officer in charge of Manila International Airport Authority’s (MIAA) public affairs office.Video provided to Reuters showed the plane touching down on the runway, then rumbling after as it veers off in a heavy downpour as cabin lights go out. Cabin crew can be heard yelling “stay” in the midst of the commotion.READ MORE: Nine planes grounded in South America after bomb threats issued to Chile aviation authorityXiamen Air is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines.“All 157 passengers and eight crew were evacuated without injuries, according to Xiamen Air,” Boeing said in a statement, adding it was closely monitoring the situation.READ MORE: Airport driver late for a work barbecue nearly crashes into plane on the way
Philippine airport authorities said the passengers of Xiamen flight 8667 would be brought to a hotel near Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which services international flights to the country.Due to the incident, NAIA’s international runway will be closed until 12 p.m. local time on Friday, a separate statement from airport authorities said.
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