Nine passengers were injured early Sunday while evacuating a Qantas Airways plane that had made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport after an alarm indicated smoke in its cargo bay, police and firefighters said.
The Airbus 330 with 194 passengers and crew landed just before 1 a.m. It had taken off from Narita airport and was bound for Perth, Australia.
Rescue workers saw no signs of fire, though some passengers said they had smelled something burning.
Later in the day, transport authorities examined the aircraft and determined the fire alarm had malfunctioned.
The nine injured passengers -- six Japanese, two Australians and one Chinese -- were hurt going down the emergency escape chutes. A Japanese woman suffered a fractured hip, the rescue workers said.
They added that more than 10 other passengers were believed to have sustained minor injuries.
The transport ministry said the pilot activated the fire extinguishing system but could not confirm if the possible fire had been put out.
