Several hurt as plane catches fire at Florida airport

The airliner experienced a fuel leak before takeoff at Fort Lauderdale

MIAMI: An airliner caught fire on a runway at Fort Lauderdale in Florida Thursday and several people were injured, authorities said.

"Airplane engine fire," the Broward County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter, adding: "several injuries."

Mike Jachles, the spokesman for the sheriff's office, told WSVN 7 News television that "three people will be sent to area hospitals. There may be as many as seven injured in all."

He said the initial reports were of an engine fire aboard the aircraft.

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"There is no fire now," he said, adding that the plane was quickly evacuated.

The plane was a Dynamic Airways Boeing 767 that was getting ready to take off for Venezuela when the fire broke out.

"Still waiting to hear the extent of injuries. And exactly what happened. But looks like quick action really made a big difference here," Representative Debbie Wasserman, whose congressional district includes Fort Lauderdale, said on CNN.