China airlines crew missing in Japan airport fire

August 20, 2007

Tokyo, Japan - A China Airlines jetliner caught fire at the Naha airport on the Japanese island of Okinawa leaving some crew members missing.

There were no major injuries reported among the passengers. The conditions of the crewmembers were not immediately available.

The Japanese Transport Ministry and the Naha Fire Department said the passengers included 155 adults and two toddlers. The crew was made up of 2 pilots and six flight attendants.

According to the ministry, there was "some sort of explosion" on the left-hand side of the China Airlines Boeing 737. Japanese media reported that a passenger saw a fire in one of the engines before the blast.