SEOUL -- A domestic aircraft carrying 160 people crashed and burst into flames on a South Korean island Wednesday when it tried to land in rainstorms, but all on board escaped from the plane, an airline spokesman said.


The Korean Air Lines Airbus A-300 was unbalanced by sudden strong gusts sweeping Cheju Island as it was touching down and skidded off the wet runway, hit an airport fence and caught fire, he said.


The plane stopped within 100 meters of the sea. All 160 passengers and crew managed to leave by the escape chutes just after the aircraft crashed, he said.


"Cabin crew could only open one emergency exit because of flames and the tilting position of the plane but it took only a few minutes for everyone to leave," one official said, quoting a crew member.


"Eight people were treated in hospital for minor injuries but no one was admitted to hospital," he said.


Wednesday's crash was the second serious accident this year involving the A-300, according to data from manufacturer Airbus Industrie.


In the first fatal accident for this type of plane in its 10 years of service, 264 people died April 26 when an A-300 of Taiwan's China Airlines came down at Nagoya, Japan.


The exact cause of Wednesday's crash was being investigated.