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Bloomberg
Eight people were killed after a Lionair plane caught fire before it took off from Manila for Tokyo on a medical mission.
The plane was a West Wind 24 aircraft bound for the Haneda airport in Japan with two passengers and six crew members on board, according to Manila airport authorities.
Manila International Airport fire and rescue officials rushed to the site “to douse the flames with chemical foam,†according to the statement.
The runway has been temporarily closed as investigators work to determine the cause of the fire.
The casualties included an American, a Canadian, and six Filipinos, local news network GMA reported.
The fleet may be grounded after its second accident in six months, the network said, citing Civil Aviation Authority
of the Philippines Deputy Director-General for Operations Don Mendoza.
Lionair, which charters helicopters and jets in the Philippines, typically serves the medical community where patients and care providers are airlifted in the country and around the region. A Westwind plane could be leased for $5,000 an hour with two pilots, according to its website.
The company is separate from Lion Air, the Indonesian carrier that was involved in fatal accidents including the crash of a 737 jetliner in 2018.