Norwegian charter plane catches fire on landing

A charter plane with 16 people aboard caught fire and skidded off the runway at a western Norway airport today, reduce officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether passengers had escaped from the burning plane.

Anders Bang-Andersen, of the Norwegian Rescue Centre, said the plane had taken off from the south-western Norway Sola Airport, near Stavanger, and caught fire on landing at Stord Airport.

Rescue workers later said they had pulled 13 people from the plane, but three passengers were missing.

Einar Knutsen, of the Rescue Co-ordination Center for Southern Norway, said 13 of those aboard had been rescued alive, but their condition was not immediately known. Rescuers were searching for three others.

Bang-Andersen said all available rescue personnel were at the crash site.

Photographs posted in the internet sites of Norwegian newspapers showed a ball of fire and clouds of smoke coming from the end of the runway.