An airplane of the national carrier Vietnam Airlines was struck by lightning on its way from the central city of Da Nang to the central highlands resort town of Da Lat on Saturday, VnExpress reported.

 

All the 68 passengers onboard were safe, but a return flight from Da Lat to Da Nang was delayed for technical safety checks on the ATR 72 jet, the newswire quoted Nguyen Tat Danh, chief of Vietnam Airlines’ representative office in Da Lat, as saying.

 

According to Danh, 50 passengers of the delayed flight who wished to go to Da Nang were sent to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, from where they would fly back to the central city.

 

Others, meanwhile, waited to take a direct flight Sunday morning, the news source reported.

 

In April an airplane of Vietnam Airlines was also struck by lightning when it was at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, France. The incident delayed a flight bound for Hanoi with 230 passengers affected.