Plane skids off runway in NW China

XI'AN - A plane skidded off the runway while landing amid heavy rain in Northwest China's Shaanxi province on Thursday evening, airport operators said.

The accident happened at 6:38 pm, when an E145 plane operated by Tianjin Airline landed at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, according to airport operators.

No casualties have been reported.

Operators said a sudden downpour hampered the pilot's vision, causing the plane to temporarily veer off the runway. One of the plane's tires burst during landing.

The province has suffered from torrential downpours since last week, with floods and the collapse of houses causing 14 deaths and 1.8 billion yuan ($291.5 million) in economic losses.