Jumbo jet strikes building at Johannesburg airport, no injuries

USPA News - The wing of a British Airlines jetliner struck a building Sunday night while taxiing at the international airport in the South African city of Johannesburg, passengers and airline officials said on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries. The incident happened just before 11 p.m. local time on Sunday when British Airways flight 34 was about to take off from O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on a nearly 11-hour-flight flight to London.

Footage from the scene showed the right wing of the Boeing 747 sliced itself through a portion of a brick building right next to the taxiway. "Just taxiing along and boom. ... Took about 20 meters (65.6 feet) off [the] top story [of the] building with [its] wing," passenger John Hart wrote on the social networking website Twitter. Both he and Harriet Tolputt, a spokeswoman for international aid agency Oxfam, posted photos of the incident. British Airways confirmed one of its jumbo jets was damaged while taxiing in Johannesburg and added that none of the 182 passengers on board the aircraft were injured. "Customers were looked after by our staff and provided with hotel accommodation and we are arranging alternative flights for them," an airline spokeswoman said. Tolputt, however, criticized the evacuation procedure and told NBC News that passengers waited an hour for crews to put foam on a fuel leak, adding that some passengers were shaken and in tears. "Not impressed that first class passengers get off before premium economy during an emergency," she added on her Twitter account. British Airways did not immediately provide more information about Sunday`s incident, but the airline spokeswoman added: "We have launched a full investigation into the incident and are giving our assistance to the independent South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) with the matter."