WORLD> America
Five people survive after plane lands in bush in western Canada
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-24 13:43

OTTAWA -- Five people survived a plane crash after the pilot managed to land in a dense bush before the plane burst into flames during an accident Saturday in western Canada, reports said Sunday.

The group, which also included a co-pilot and a nurse, was on a medevac trip in Manitoba province when a fire erupted in the aircraft's cockpit shortly after taking off Saturday night, police said.

With no time to turn around, the pilot opted to set the plane down in thick bush in a rugged area about 500 km north of provincial capital Winnipeg.

The pilot and all the passengers, including a 10-month old baby, managed to get out the wreckage just moments before it burst into flames.

The pilot is being hailed as a hero as he had to dodge several bodies of water in the dark of night in order to put the plane down safely.

The Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the crash and what caused the fire in the turbo-prop Beech King Air A100.