US plane makes emergency landing on Colombian island

An airplane belonging to the US carrier American Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing Thursday at the airport of Colombia's San Andres Island after reporting smoke in the cockpit.

All 172 passengers aboard the Boeing 757 were safe and in good condition, reported Xinhua citing the American Airlines in a statement issued in Colombia.

The plane was flying from San Jose, Costa Rica to Miami, Florida. "The plane was rerouted to San Andres, Colombia, due to a mechanical problem," the company said.

"The Boeing 757 airplane with 172 passengers and six crew members landed without incident at San Andres at 9.45 a.m. local time (1445 GMT), " it said.

Frank Gonzalez, director of the San Andres Civil Defense Office, said the passengers encountered no problems during the landing, despite the rain.