9th Sep 2015 05:25
CHICAGO (Alliance News) - A Boeing Co. 777-200 operated by British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, suffered a major engine failure as it was beginning its takeoff in Las Vegas, triggering a fire and requiring an emergency evacuation, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The failure occurred in the left engine as the aircraft was accelerating on the runway for takeoff late on Tuesday.
There were 159 passengers and 13 crew on the flight. Seven passengers received medical treatment for minor injuries.
The jet stopped safely before becoming airborne, allowing passengers and crew to exit the aircraft safely before the fire worsened.
According to the McCarran International Airport's Twitter feed, the incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. Aircraft, operating as flight 2276, was the airline's scheduled service from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to London Gatwick airport.
McCarran Airport said later that the fire had been extinguished.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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