A building burns after a Brazilian passenger plane crashed at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport July 17, 2007. Airport officials said 174 passengers and crew were on board the Airbus A320 flying from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil when it lost control on landing and skidded off the wet runway. (Reuters Photo)
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A plane with 174 passengers aboard has exploded in Sao Paulo's Congonhas International Airport, after failing to stop upon landing and skidding into a hanger, Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Enterprise (Infraero) and Brazil's Federal Police said on Tuesday.

The plane, belonging to local airline TAM, was Flight 5018 from Rio Grande do Sul's state capital of Porto Alegre, in the south ofthe country.

Witnesses told local media that the airport is closed. The Fire Brigade sent 26 teams to attempt to control the fire started by the accident, which is taking over a main road next to the terminal.

TAM's press office has not released any statement on the accident or the number of victims.

Urgent: Plane skids, hits hangar in Sao Paulo
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A commercial plane belonging to local airline TAM hit a hangar and started a fire on Tuesday at Congonhas International Airport, in the southern city of Sao Paulo, according to Brazil's Federal Police.

The Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Enterprise (Infraero) said that the accident happened when the aircraft failed to stop and slid on the runway. No information on victims has been released yet.

Urgent: Passenger plane crashes in Brazil
SAO PAULO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A passenger plane carrying 170 people on board crashed into a filling station at an airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Tuesday, local reports said.

The number of casualties of the crash is not available so far.