Turkish plane makes emergency landing

A Turkish Airline official says a plane returning from Milan made an emergency landing in Istanbul and ran off the runway.

The plane left a trail of sparks and smoke as it landed but all passengers were evacuated safely.

Spokesman Ali Genc told The Associated Press today that it was not clear if the plane, flight TK 1878, caught fire as it landed or earlier.

The pilots asked to make an emergency landing when a first attempt to land failed, he said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and Genc says all 97 passengers were safely evacuated. He says none suffered any health issues.
 

Earlier, Turkish media reports said the plane's engine had caught fire in flight.