Fire engulfs airliner in Toronto

[Shum]

Flames have engulfed an Air France airliner at Pearson airport in Toronto, Canada, after it skidded off a runway while landing in bad weather.

The aircraft, which could have had up to 200 people aboard, was still ablaze two hours after the crash.

There is no word on casualties among the passengers or crew of Flight 358 from Paris to Toronto.

Television footage shows the plane, an Airbus A340, burning fiercely with thick black smoke billowing out.

The accident took place in heavy rain near Highway 401, one of Canada's busiest motorways.

Emergency vehicles are at the scene with firefighters directing a stream of water at the wreckage.

First accident

It appears that the plane crashed through barriers at 1550 local time (1950 GMT) and fell into a small ravine, tail in the air.

According to CBC, most operations had been grounded at the airport at the time because of severe thunderstorms.

"There was quite a downpour," CBC journalist John Finday said.

"The visibility was really bad, with lots of lightning."

The A340 has an excellent safety record - with no crashes reported before Tuesday, aircraft expert David Learmount told the BBC.

"Modern airliners are like that. They don't have accidents. If this one has had an accident it's the first."

Eyewitness Corey Marks in a car on the nearby highway told CNN that the plane's landing had seemed fine at first.

"It touched the runway and it seemed like everything was going good.

"Then all of a sudden we heard the engines go back and the plane just kept on going," he said.

He said the sky had turned very black, but planes appeared to be landing as normal.

Mr Marks said he saw jet go "straight into the valley and crack in half".

"We were about to run over and try to help but it went up in such flames."

Thankfully everone survived.

[Katy]

It was a miracle no body died, I spent a month in Toronto when I was a nipper - fantastic place!

[MC Prussian]

It was a miracle no body died, I spent a month in Toronto when I was a nipper - fantastic place!

148708[/snapback]

Vancouver is even better!

[Katy]

Vancouver is even better!    

148732[/snapback]

Of course it is Vancouver Fox