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Minor fire on Japan govt jet with PM on board: reports
TOKYO, Nov 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A minor fire broke out mid-flight on a
Japanese government jet Sunday while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was on board,
but it was extinguished quickly with no injuries, media reports said.
The leader was flying to Bangkok from Tokyo on a Boeing 777-300ER to
attend talks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
About an hour after take-off, an in-flight announcement said that an oven
on the plane had sparked a small blaze, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Ten minutes later, another announcement said the fire had been
extinguished, with no smoke or smell detected, the newspaper said in an
online article.
Jiji Press and Kyodo News reported similar stories, citing government
sources.
There was no change to Abe’s itinerary, Kyodo said.
Contacted by AFP, officials from the prime minister’s office and the
defence ministry could not immediately confirm the report.
BSS/AFP/FI/1608 hrs