All passengers and crew were evacuated. (Photo/Weibo)
Eight passengers were injured after a fire alarm forced the emergency evacuation of a plane on Wednesday morning in east China's Anhui Province, said an airport official.
A fire alarm in the cargo hold was reported shortly after Hainan Airlines flight HU7244 took off from the Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, bound for Guangzhou.
The plane was carrying 160 passengers and crew members. It immediately returned and landed at the airport at around 10 a.m., according to Fang Yangming, an airport official.
All passengers and crew were evacuated. The eight injured were sent to a hospital.
Fire fighters failed to find the source of the fire alarm after investigating, but still sprayed water into the cargo hold as a preventive measure.
Work safety authorities are investigating why the plane system's triggered the fire alarm. The airline company is arranging another plane to carry the passengers to Guangzhou.
