Flight bound for Fort Lauderdale makes emergency landing in Newark

Passengers evacuated via emergency slides after reports of smoke

NEWARK, N.J. – A flight bound for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport made an emergency landing early Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, after smoke was reported inside the cargo hold.

Departing from Montreal, Air Transat Flight 942 landed at Newark Liberty International Airport around 8:30 a.m. Passengers were ushered off the plane using emergency slides, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

No fire was found and the cause of the smoke remains under investigation, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

The incident briefly affected other takeoffs and landings at the Newark airport.

Debbie Cabana, a spokeswoman for Air Transat, confirmed the emergency landing and said no one was seriously hurt. Two passengers were treated on the scene for minor injuries. One hundred and eighty-nine passengers were aboard the flight, Cabana said.

The Canadian airline said a new plane and crew would take the passengers to Fort Lauderdale. It's scheduled to leave Newark at 6:20 p.m. and arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 9:25 p.m.

"The plane landed safely," Coleman told CNN. Passengers "were evacuated on the runway via the chutes and bused to the terminal, where they will be housed until the airline can determine what it wants to do with them."

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.