Air India flight lands safely after engine fire

NEWARK (AP) -- Officials say an India-bound flight out of Newark Liberty was forced to return to the airport because of an engine fire.

A spokeswoman for the agency that operates Newark Liberty International Airport says no one on board Air India Flight 144 was injured.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokeswoman Erica Dumas says the flight departed for Mumbai with 313 passengers around 4:35 p.m. Sunday. The pilot reported a fire in an engine on the plane's left side shortly after takeoff and the engine soon shut down.

The plane landed safely around 5:05 p.m., and the passengers were taken off the plane without incident. Dumas says the plane had "multiple" blown tires.

The fire was initially attributed to a bird strike but Dumas says that information was incorrect.

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