Air Canada passenger flight with 137 people aboard overshoots runway in Halifax

An Air Canada flight with 137 on board has made a rough landing at an airport in Canada's eastern city of Halifax when the plane overshot the runway.

No fatalities have been reported. At least 23 passengers have been taken to hospital for minor injuries. The jetliner, carrying 132 passengers and five crew members, was flying from Toronto to Halifax when the incident took place late on Saturday, 28 March.

The jetliner, carrying 132 passengers and five crew members, was flying from Toronto to Halifax when the incident took place late on Saturday, 28 March.

The Airbus A320, flight number AC624, made a "hard landing" on the runway, following which it rammed a power line and then eventually skidded to a halt. Power supply was knocked out at the airport after the incident.

"It was a hard landing, and the aircraft left the runway. It is off the runway now," said Peter Spurway, a spokesperson for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

All flights to and from the airport have been suspended and the airfield has been shut down.

"We just hit hard and things broke up. Just before we hit there was a big ball of light. It hit like a hard landing and we bounced and we skidded," Gordon Murray, one of the passengers, was quoted as saying.

An investigation has been initiated into the matter. Reports suggest the visibility was poor when the plane attempted to land accompanied by heavy snowfall.