Kuala Lumpur: Sixteen people were taken to hospital for checks after a passenger plane crashed in eastern Malaysia today, the airline said, and media reports said three of them were seriously injured.
National carrier Malaysia Airlines said the Twin Otter propeller plane took off from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state, but landed short of the runway in Kudat about 150 kilometres northeast.
"No reported fatalities as of now. Focus of the airline is on the rescue of passengers and crew," it said in a statement less than two hours after the afternoon crash.
All those aboard the plane were taken to Kudat Hospital for checkups. Newspapers said six of them were injured, including three in critical condition.
The Star said the plane had crashed into the grounds of a house, but there were no immediate reports of casualties on the ground.
Authorities are still trying to ascertain the cause of the accident, state news agency Bernama reported.
Sabah is on the northeastern tip of Borneo, an island which has seen repeated plane and helicopter crashes.
A helicopter crash in July last year saw three passengers die while a Singaporean trainee pilot was killed in a plane crash a week later.
