A Thai Airways International (THAI) flight skidded off the runway at a Bangkok airport in an accident that left 13 passengers injured and one runway closed, officials said today.

Flight TG679 from Guangzhao, China, landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 11.30pm yesterday and skidded off the runway into a field where one engine caught fire, THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan said.

“Passengers said the plane landed smoothly but when the front wheel went down it started to shake and ran off the runway,” Surajak said. “It will take authorities at least a day to remove the plane.”

Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok’s main international airport, has two runways.

The Airbus A330 had 288 passengers on board, of whom 13 sustained slight injuries in the accident, reportedly caused by smoke inhalation.

A full investigation was under way, Sorajak said.

- dpa