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THE FIRE and rescue service at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada has been praised for its rapid response after a commercial airliner skidded off the
runway and caught fire on
2 August 2005.
The incident happened during a thunderstorm at 4pm when the Air France flight 358 overshot the runway by some 200m and fell into a small ravine close to a motorway.
All 309 passengers and crew on board the Airbus A340 survived and the fire service were on the scene in less than three minutes. Crews helped those on board to evacuate before the fire spread through the aircraft, causing severe damage. Around 40 people were treated for minor injuries.
Steve Shaw of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority said that flight data and voice recorders had been recovered from the wreckage and sent for analysis.
Air authorities have launched an investigation into the incident amid speculation that water accumulation on the runway or strong head winds caused the crash. It will also examine the decisions taken in allowing the aircraft to land during bad weather.
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