Feb 21, 2008 (DVB), Up to 10 passengers and crew sustained minor injuries on Tuesday when an Air Bagan aircraft overshot the runway in Putao, Kachin state, according to an airline official.

A report in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the ATR-72 aircraft was due to fly from Putao to Myitkyina, also in Kachin state, but overshot the runway as it took off at around 3.15 pm.

The New Light reported that one passenger and the co-pilot were slightly injured.

But an Air Bagan official said that 10 passengers and crew were injured in the incident, which he said was due to an engine malfunction.

Air Bagan is owned by Tay Za, a Burmese tycoon with reported close links to the junta, and is a target of US sanctions.

Reporting by Nay Htoo