Aviation authorities in Japan and South Korea have launched an investigation after an Asiana Airways aircraft struck a communications tower as it came in to land in Hiroshima, leaving dozens of passengers with minor injuries.

The accident on Tuesday night bore similarities to a more serious accident involving the South Korean carrier in July 2013 that was blamed on pilot error.

Aerial footage released on Wednesday showed damage to the communications facility – a gate-like structure located some distance from the runway – at the airport in western Japan.

At least one large fragment of the tower, which sends signals to incoming planes, had broken off and come to rest on the tarmac, and wheel marks were visible on a grassy area in front of the runway. The tower’s antenna was stuck in one of the plane’s wheels, reports said.
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“We could … hear people shout ‘Hurry up before the plane explodes’. But the doors open and we swiftly got out and slid to the ground and felt a sense of relief. We thought it would explode so we were running away from the airplane,” a passenger told Japanese media.

An aviation safety official at the Japanese transport ministry said investigators had been sent to the scene to try to determine the cause of the accident.