Black smoke seen near aircraft engine at Japan's Narita airport

Black smoke was seen near the engine of an aircraft at Narita Airport, close to Tokyo, on Thursday morning, causing the affected runway to be closed for inspection, public broadcaster NHK reported.

According to NHK, at around 10:40 a.m. the fire department received a report that something resembling black smoke could be seen coming from an aircraft engine at the airport.

The report, citing police, said the aircraft was a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane taxiing on the runway for takeoff when a problem occurred with its engine, prompting the flight to be aborted.

The plane was carrying a total of 160 crew members and passengers, and there have been no reports of injuries, according to NHK.

Narita Airport said the incident prompted the closure of Runway A, which is being inspected.

Footage aired by NHK showed the aircraft parked on the runway at around 11 a.m., with several fire engines and ambulances around it as personnel worked to deal with the incident.