Air Canada Plane Catches Fire During Landing, Halifax Airport Temporarily Closed

Ottawa: An Air Canada flight at Halifax airport skidded off the runway and partially caught fire due to a malfunctioning landing gear at Halifax airport, Nova Scotia, Canada on Sunday, just hours after the deadly Jeju air crash in South Korea which claimed 85 lives, with many more feared dead.

The plane, operating as Air Canada flight AC2259 under PAL Airlines, was traveling from St. John’s to Halifax. As per the initial information, there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Halifax airport was temporarily shut down following the incident, as rep the CBC News.

Eirlier the day, as many as 85 people were killed after a passenger plane, with 181 passengers onboard, crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, news agency AP, citing country's fire agency, reported. This is one of the country's worst aviation disasters.

AP quoting emergency officials reported that the aircraft's landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned. The National Fire Agency said that a total of 85 people on board the flight were found dead as a result of the incident.