Korean Air evacuates plane at Japan's Haneda airport after engine smoke

Tokyo: Korean Air Lines evacuated 319 passengers and crew from an aircraft preparing to take off from Japan`s Haneda Airport in Tokyo after smoke came from its left engine.

The incident prompted authorities to temporarily close down Japan`s busiest aviation hub.

Images broadcast by NHK showed the Boeing 777 on a runway being sprayed with foam by fire trucks, with four of its emergency slides deployed. The aircraft, which was due to fly to Seoul in South Korea, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.

No injuries were reported, although around 30 passengers said they felt unwell, the state-owned broadcaster said.

Haneda Airport, located on Tokyo Bay, handles around 550 flights a day with around 75 million passengers passing through the hub last year, making it one of the world`s busiest airport.