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A plane encountered severe landing difficulties that led to a partial fire and evacuation of all passengers on board at Canada's Halifax Stanfield International Airport today. The Air Canada Express flight operated by PAL Airlines, arriving from Newfoundland, experienced landing gear failure, reports said. The incident occurred around 9:30 pm local time.
"The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left, and we heard what almost sounded like a crash sound as the wing of the plane began skidding along the pavement," a passenger was quoted as saying by Canada's CBC News.
The aircraft's capacity is estimated to be around 80 passengers, with most seats reportedly occupied, however, the exact number of passengers remains unconfirmed.
Emergency services, including paramedics and the Nova Scotia RCMP, were quick to respond. An airport spokesperson confirmed that all passengers and crew members were evacuated safely and transported to a hangar for medical assessment
The cause of the landing gear failure is currently under investigation. Aviation authorities and Air Canada representatives have yet to determine whether the issue was mechanical, procedural, or caused by external factors.
This incident at Halifax occurred in parallel with a devastating aviation disaster in South Korea. A Jeju Air flight carrying 181 people from Bangkok to Muan crashed during landing, resulting in the deaths of 179 on board.
Video footage from the Muan crash showed the plane engulfed in flames shortly after landing.