By DPA
London : A British Airways (BA) Boeing made a dramatic emergency landing at London’s Heathrow Airport Thursday with three of the 136 passengers suffering minor injuries, BA said.
The police said the incident involving the Boeing-777 flying in from Beijing was not terror-related. An air exclusion zone was imposed as one of Heathrow’s two runways was closed.
Among the planes delayed by the incident was one due to fly Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Beijing on an official visit.
Passengers were led to safety via emergency chutes within minutes of the plane coming down several hundred metres short of the runway, and just a few metres from a busy perimeter road.
The impact wrecked the undercarriage and caused extensive damage to both wings.
Within minutes, ambulances and fire engines surrounded the plane as witnesses reported smoke rising from the Boeing’s underbelly.
Witness Neil Jones said the plane had been “banking heavily” during the approach to Heathrow and the pilot seemed “desperate” to land in the field below.
Another witness said the Boeing had come in at a “funny angle,” and, with its undercarriage down, had slid along the grass in a “plume of smoke.”
Passengers said there was “no panic” on board and the rescue operation was over “in minutes”.
An airport spokesman said that the plane carrying Brown and his entourage, including top businessmen, journalists and Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes, left Heathrow for Beijing after a delay of several hours.