NY's LaGuardia airport closed after plane landing accident

Air traffic was shut down at New York's LaGuardia Airport as the landing gear under the nose of a passenger plane collapsed after landing early Monday evening.

The front wheel of Southwest Airlines Flight 345 from Nashville to LaGuardia popped while the plane was taxiing. The gear then buckled, forcing the nose to the tarmac, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia.

Southwest Airlines said a total of 150 people, instead of previous media reports of 149, were on board.

Initial reports indicated five passengers and three flight attendants were treated for injuries. All passengers had left the plane and been transferred to the terminal, Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

The aircraft is a Boeing 737-700. Southwest is cooperating with local authorities on handling the accident, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

At least a dozen emergency vehicles were on hand at the scene. Heavy flight delays were reported, with the airport being temporarily closed.

The accident came less than three weeks after Asiana flight 214, bound for the United States from the Republic of Korea (ROK), clipped the runway upon landing and burst into flames at the San Francisco airport.

The Asiana crash killed three Chinese female students and left 182 passengers injured. Aboard the plane were a total of 291 passengers, among whom 141 were Chinese.