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Photo: CON CHRONIS / AAP / IMAGO
Dozens of passengers jumped from a plane onto the runway just before take-off at Melbourne Airport.
This is reported by the TV stations 7News and 9News Melbourne, among others.
The background was therefore fears that an engine of the regional machine had caught fire.
One and a half meters to the ground
The Rex Airlines plane was supposed to fly from the Australian metropolis to King Island off the coast of Tasmania.
But then the fire brigade was called to the runway.
Smoke is said to have risen from an engine of the machine, the broadcaster 7News reported.
However, according to a report by 9News Melbourne, firefighters could not find any evidence of a fire in any of the engines.
A total of 43 passengers were on board and many panicked, 7News said.
They would have had to leave everything on board and jump about five feet out of the emergency exit because there were no stairs or ladder at first.
According to the information, no one was injured.
"They were able to disembark the plane safely and the airport's operations were not affected," an airport spokesman told the broadcaster.
apr/dpa
