A passenger plane of China Airlines from Taiwan burns after an explosion in Naha on Japan's southern island of Okinawa Aug. 20, 2007. (Xinhua Photo)

While the exact reason of the fire which destroyed a plane of China Airlines from Taiwan in southern Japan's Naha airport on Monday morning is unknown, fuel leakage is a suspected cause of the accident, officials from the Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said later in the day.

According to initial investigation of the Japanese side, the Boeing 737-800's right-wing engine caught fire first, and the flame made its way to the left-wing engine through the fuel which leaked from the right-wing engine onto the ground under the fuselage.

The left-wing engine exploded soon after the fire reached it, investigators said.

The transport ministry is scheduled to carry out on Tuesday thorough investigation about the reason leading to the mass leakage of fuel.

Taiwan's aviation officials and president of China Airlines arrived in Naha later in the day.

Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) denied any terrorist attack behind the accident.

The plane, numbered CI120, arrived at Naha, the Capital of Okinawa Prefecture, at 10:27 a.m. The fire broke out at 10:35 a.m., three minutes after the plane reached its designated parking spot.

According to investigators, two ground mechanics first saw the leakage of fuel and reported immediately to the captain, who then stopped the right-wing engine, turned on its interior fire-extinguishing equipment, and ordered the emergency evacuation procedure.

All of the 157 passengers and eight crew members left the plane unharmed through emergency slides at four doors in 90 seconds, and the most severe explosion happened when the last group of passengers was just no more than 50 meters away from the plane, Japanese media reported.

One crew member and a mechanic on the ground were slightly injured, firefighters said.

Recorded video showed that strong fire and thick smoke rose from the middle and end parts of the plane before about 10 fire department vehicles and about 100 firefighters gathered around the plane to put off the fire in about 60 minutes.

The plane, which departed Taipei earlier in the day and landed at Naha at 10:27 a.m. local time (0127 GMT), broke into two pieces and tilted down to the ground, with its left body almost burnt out.

China Airlines passenger plane destroyed in fire at Japan airport  
 

A passenger plane of China Airlines from Taiwan burns after an explosion in Naha on Japan's southern island of Okinawa Aug. 20, 2007. (Xinhua Photo)

A passenger plane of China Airlines from Taiwan was almost completely destroyed in fire on Monday morning at Naha airport of Southern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, according to Japanese media.

None of the 157 passengers and eight crew members was injured in the accident since the fire broke out after all of them got off the plane in notice of initial flame, airport and Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) officials said.

"All 157 passengers evacuated through the emergency slides," Akihiko Tamura, a transport ministry official, told a press conference in Tokyo.

He also said the eight crew members were confirmed alive. But Kyodo News said two people were taken to hospital and one ground crew member was hurt.

The airline earlier put the passenger number at 155 as it did not count the two infants without tickets.

China Airlines officials were quoted as telling that the fire broke out at around 10:35 a.m., eight minutes after landing, from the engine below the left wing of the Boeing 737-800 plane.

While the cause of the fire is still unknown, the NPA denied any terrorist attack behind the accident.

TV footage showed that strong fire and thick smoke rose from middle and end part of the plane before about ten fire department vehicles and about a hundred firefighters gathered around the plane to put off the fire in about 40 minutes.

The plane, which is numbered flight 120, broke into two pieces and tilted down to the ground, with its left body almost burnt out, latest NKH footage showed.

The plane departed Taipei earlier in the day and landed at Naha, the capital of Okinawa, at 10:27 a.m. local time (0127 GMT).

Editor: Yan