Hong Kong's Cathay aborts takeoff, 11 injured

HONG KONG, June 24 (Xinhua) -- A Cathay Pacific plane aborted takeoff at Hong Kong International Airport due to signal anomaly in the early hours on Saturday, leaving 11 passengers injured during an emergency evacuation.

According to the Hong Kong Airport Authority (HKAA), at around 00:20 a.m. local time, Cathay Pacific's CX880 aircraft bound for Los Angeles aborted takeoff due to an abnormal signal and returned to the parking space. The emergency escape ladder was immediately opened for evacuation.

HKAA said that there were 17 crew members and 293 passengers on board. The injured people were sent to hospital, and nine of them have been discharged.

The police said that a tyre of the plane was thought to have burst and people were injured during the evacuation.

Cathay apologized and said it would cooperate with authorities in their investigation.