Malaysian plane makes emergency landing

[JS50557]

A Malaysian Airline plane carrying 95 people made an emergency landing Thursday in northern Penang state due to engine trouble, officials said.

Penang airport manager Abdul Wahab Mohamad Yusof said the pilot of the Boeing 737 flight from Singapore to Penang called for the emergency landing just as the aircraft was about to land, suspecting that the plane's right engine was on fire.

He said the plane landed safely at the airport runway, which was closed for 20 minutes. No one was injured.

Abdul Wahab said no fire was found but that the plane was to undergo an inspection.

Malaysia Airlines in a statement said the plane's right engine was "surging with vibrations," prompting the captain to shut it down as a precaution. It said the plane is capable of flying with only one engine.

"The plane landed safely. All 88 passengers and seven crew members are safe. At no time was the safety of the flight in jeopardy," said Malaysia Airlines head of flight operations, Ahmad Zuraidi Dahalan.

Investigations into the cause of the incident are under way, he added.