Thai Airways plane skids off runway

A Thai Airways plane has skidded off the runway in Bangkok after the landing gear malfunctioned,  the airline said.

The incident late on Sunday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport involved an Airbus 330-300 carrying 288 passengers and 14 crew members on a flight from Guangzhou in southern China, the carrier said on Monday.

About 14 people were slightly injured when they escaped down the emergency slides, Thai Airways President Sorajak Kasemsuvan told local television.

“They were sent to hospital but most of them received treatment and were discharged,” he added.

The plane was seen resting on grass on Monday morning next to the runway with its evacuation slides still deployed and the Thai Airways name and logo hastily covered up.

“Sparks were noticed from the vicinity of the right landing gear near the engine; the matter is under investigation,” the airline said in a statement.

The incident comes just over a week after dozens of passengers and crew were injured when a Thai Airways A380 superjumbo hit severe turbulence during a flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong.