Asiana Airlines passenger jet skids off runway in Hiroshima, 22 injured

An Airbus A320 flown by Asiana Airlines from Seoul ran out of runway soon after landing at Hiroshima Airport on Tuesday, the transport ministry and the Hiroshima prefectural government said.

All of the 74 passengers and eight crew members on board the South Korean airline's Flight 162 left the aircraft by using an escape chute. The authorities said 22 people sustained minor injuries.

The wheel of the aircraft may have struck a wireless communication facility near the runway when it landed from the eastern side of the airport just after 8pm, a transport ministry official said.

The aircraft ran halfway through the runway but later skidded off to the left, turning it around in the opposite direction, airport officials said.

The about 6.4-metre high wireless communication facility, located about 300 metres away from an edge of the runway, was found damaged. The aircraft's left wing and left engine were damaged while scratches were seen on the aircraft's tail.

What appears to be an antenna from the wireless facility was stuck in the wheel close to the left wing base, the authorities said.