(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-20 10:43

The charred remains of a China Airlines plane from Taiwan Province lie on the tarmac on Japan's southern island of Okinawa August 20, 2007. A plane belonging to China Airlines Ltd caught fire soon after landing on Japan's southern island of Okinawa on Monday, but officials said all 165 people on board had escaped safely. [Reuters] 

A passenger plane of China Airlines was almost completely destroyed in fire on Monday morning at Naha airport of Southern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, according to Japanese media.

None of the 163 passengers and crew members was injured in the accident since the fire broke out after all of them got off the plane in notice of initial flame, airport and Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) officials said.

Kyodo News quoted China Airlines officials as saying that the fire broke out at around 10:30 am from engine below one of the main wing of the Boeing 737 plane following its landing.

While The cause of the fire is still unknown, the NPA denied any terrorist attack behind the accident. TV footage showed that strong fire and thick smoke rose from middle and end part of the plane before about ten fire department vehicles and about a hundred firefighters gathered around the plane to put off the fire in about 40 minutes.

The plane, which is numbered flight 120, tilted and broke down to the ground, with its left body almost burnt out, latest NKH footage showed.

The plane departed Taipei and landed at Naha, the capital of Okinawa, at 10:27 a.m. local time (0127 GMT).

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