MANILA 30 Mar (ANA) - A plane caught fire while attempting to take off from Manila's airport in the Phillippines, killing all eight on board, officials have said. 

The aircraft, which was carrying six Filipino crew members and an American and a Canadian passenger, was bound for Tokyo on a medical mission when it caught fire near the end of the main runway, Manila airport general manager Ed Monreal said.

"Unfortunately, there were no survivors," Mr Monreal said at a news conference.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said in a statement that the plane was an Agusta WW24.

It said the aircraft apparently encountered an unspecified "problem which resulted in a fire" as it rolled to take off, adding its chief investigator was on the way to the scene.(ANA) 

FA/ANA/30 March 2020------