Plane catches fire after crash landing at Canadian airport

An Air Canada plane caught fire during a crash landing in Nova Scotia this weekend.

On Saturday, December 28, at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time, Air Canada Express Flight 2259 skidded down a runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, causing a wing to catch fire, according to videos shared on X (formerly known as Twitter). .

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told the Associated Press that the plane had a “suspected landing gear issue” upon arrival at the airport. He added that the plane could not reach the terminal and so the crew and 73 passengers were taken there by bus. The spokesman also said that there were no injuries.

Customers had not yet received their belongings as they waited for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to clear the plane, Fitzpatrick told the AP.

Air Canada did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, December 29.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport said in a post on Instagram that its airfield was “briefly closed” following an incident.

“All passengers and crew members on board have now been flown out and transported from the airport,” the airport wrote.

One of the airport’s two runways has now reopened, although flights may still experience delays, according to a Dec. 29 update from the Canadian airport on Instagram.

“Safety is our top priority,” Halifax Stanfield International Airport wrote. “We encourage travelers to check their flight status directly with their airline or on our website before heading to the airport.”

A spokesperson for Halifax Stanfield International Airport said in a statement to PEOPLE that the incident occurred upon the flight’s arrival from St. John’s, a city in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Our 24/7 emergency services team immediately responded to the aircraft and provided support to passengers and crew,” they said. “All passengers and crew on board were safely discharged from the aircraft and transported from the airfield for medical evaluation while our ERS team stabilized and inspected the aircraft.”

According to the airport, the airfield was only closed for about 90 minutes on December 28, resulting in the diversion of four flights and “a handful of cancellations and delays.”

The spokesman added: “The aircraft currently remains on the closed runway pending an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board, who will have representatives on site today.”

The Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police told PEOPLE they responded to the incident along with first responders.

“All passengers and crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft and cleared by EHS with no injuries,” police said.

In an interview with CBC, passenger Nikki Valentine claimed one of the plane’s tires did not open properly when it landed on the runway.

“The plane started to sit at about a 20 degree angle to the left and when that happened we heard a pretty loud noise that almost sounded like a crash sound as the wing of the plane started to slide across the tarmac with that “What I suspect was the engine,” she said.

Valentine added that the plane “was shaking quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming into the windows.”

The airline incident is still under investigation.