Lima: Almost 141 passengers on board Peruvian Airlines flights miraculously escaped after the plane caught fire mid-air and skid off the runway in the Andes.
A video of the incident, showing how all onboard passengers from Peruvian Airlines Boeing 737 were taken out of the plane that was on fire, went viral on social media, according to a report in Daily Mail.
The fire fighters worked desperately to put out the blaze at the back of the aircraft to let the passengers escape. The video also shows thick plumes of black smoke above the 737.
“Miraculously, all 141 people on board the plane escaped without 'considerable injuries',” the airlines said in a statement. “The aircraft turned on the right side, skidding off the runway... the high professionalism of our cabin crew prevented a major incident,” it added.
The spokesperson of the airlines, Alberto Lopez, told mediapersons that the plane caught fire after when it was on the ground. “The exact cause of fire will be explained once the investigation has been completed,” he added.
However, Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communication has said the aircraft caught fire as a consequence of a 'forced landing'.
