December 22, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 23, 1429

LOS ANGELES, Dec 21: Fifty-eight people were injured when a Continental Airlines plane taking off from Denver, Colorado, veered off the runway and caught fire, officials said on Sunday.

The Boeing 737 was departing from Denver International Airport late Saturday for Houston, Texas, when it “came off the runway”, airport spokesman Jeff Green said.

The 112 people aboard Flight 1404 107 passengers and five crew members were evacuated via emergency chutes, Green said, adding that crews on the scene quickly put out the fire.As of early Sunday “the updated number of total injuries is 58 passengers,” Green told National Public Radio.

Two female passengers were in critical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital, the local newspaper, the Denver Post, reported.

Green said that it is “really too early to tell” if weather played a role in the accident, saying that strong winds had been reported earlier but that there was no snow.

The fire was so intense that melted plastic from overhead compartments dripped onto passenger seats, according to media reports.

The Denver International Airport issued a statement on its website warning passengers of delays on Sunday and Monday because half of its runways will be closed.

Due to the accident “the airfield remains partially closed and airport officials are anticipating operational delays of 40 minutes or more as a result of an inability to use three of the airport’s six runways”, it said.—AFP